Today Never Happened
by Kyriana42
Summary: Sequel to A Beautiful Lie. After traveling through the anomalies looking for a way home, Connor comes to realize that he has more than just getting home to worry about.
1. Down and Out

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**A/N: If you didn't read "Who We Are Now" and "A Beautiful Lie" before this, please read those first, so this will make more sense! Thanks and Enjoy! **

* * *

**Chapter 1****: Down and Out**

Red alarms were blaring as Connor ran down the corridor toward the anomaly.

"Get him! Don't let him get away!" One of the guards shouted to the others.

Connor stopped at the anomaly and turned to look at the guards, who were just starting to turn around the corner.

He looked back at the anomaly, which started to pulsate, indicating that it was about to close.

Just as the guards drew their guns, Connor jumped through, the anomaly closing behind him, leaving the guards to fire at a dead end.

"Dammit!" One of the guards shouted.

* * *

Connor stood up, watching the anomaly close behind him.

He smirked to himself and turned, heading to the cave that he was temporarily staying in this time period.

On the way to the cave, there was a lake that he would occasionally stop at to refill his drink and sometimes bathe in.

Connor looked around to make sure that there were no creatures near the lake before he approached it.

He paused before he bent to drink to look at his reflection.

He had changed so much in the time that he'd been wandering the anomalies.

He had a few cuts on his face and the rest of his body due to close encounters with the creatures. For not having a first aid kit, they healed fairly well and became scars that he did his best to cover.

During his travels through the anomalies, his hair had grown, as did a beard. He had lost quite a lot of weight, because of the running and lack of food choices and surplus of predators. His clothes had also worn down during his purgatory in the anomalies.

The gun Helen had left him with before pushing him through an anomaly all that time ago, was still with him. He refused to use it on any prehistoric creatures.

He'd wandered into a future anomaly once, but he had only used two of the bullets to kill a future predator before he barely escaped through the anomaly that took him there.

He hadn't crossed Helen yet. He had planned to kill her when he did find her; but at the moment, getting home to Abby and the others was more important to him.

The purpose of his last trip was to collect supplies.

Helen had left him for dead with nothing more than a gun and the clothes he wore.

He had broken into some sort of futuristic government facility via an anomaly. He raided some bloke's locker, and borrowed the man's clothes, grooming kit, and several weapons from the armory before he tripped the alarms, which brought him to where he was now.

It wasn't the first time he'd broken in somewhere via an anomaly for supplies. He tried to make everything last for as long as he could. Last time, he'd stolen goggles and a scarf from somewhere in the early 20th century to help protect him from the weather, as well as his identity, should something like today happen.

He squatted down and drank some of the cool water, before standing up again and stripping his worn out clothes off, he'd destroy them later.

He turned to look at the clothes he'd nicked earlier and put them on.

His new outfit that he donned, as he looked back at his reflection, without the goggles and the scarf. He wore dark blue jeans that had holsters on them for his guns; a button-down, green long-sleeved shirt; a pair of black, fingerless grip gloves, and black hiking boots.

A black jacket had come with the clothes, but because of the heat, he left the jacket alone for the time being. The ring he constantly wore, safely underneath his fresh clothes.

He turned to the kit and looked at his reflection in the water. He'd only be able to cut his beard without hopefully injuring himself, as he had still not acquired a first aid kit.

After he finished grooming himself to the best of his abilities, he wrapped the scarf around his neck and pulled it over his nose and mouth, followed by placing the goggles over his eyes.

He heard roars from the creatures nearby and quickly picked up his discarded clothes, running to the cave as nighttime came over the forest.

* * *

He sat in the cave, high above the ground, watching the small fire he managed to create.

He slowly ripped his old clothes and placed them on the fire to keep it going.

"Goodbye." He muttered, staring at the fire.

He stood and pretended as if he were fighting an assailant. He threw some punches, dodged a few times, and threw some kicks. He felt like he was getting better at fighting his own shadow and the thin air; but he'd only find out if he ever really had to fight hand-to-hand combat.

Connor fell back down to the ground and glanced outside as rain started to fall and the creatures outside roared and groaned.

"How long has it been, eh?" He asked himself out loud.

"Oh, I dunno. A couple of years now." He answered himself.

He laughed aloud. "Probably. Ya can never really tell. Jumping through so many anomalies hopping to find the right one, really puts a damper on telling time."

His stomach growled.

"You're not exactly helping this situation, mate! I'm trying to figure out how long I've been living like a nomad and all you can think about is food! Perhaps I should have forgotten about fresh clothes and trimming me beard to steal some real food to feed ya!" Connor shouted at his stomach.

His stomach growled again.

Tears started to fall as his head drooped toward his knees and he began to sob.

"This is totally unfair!" He sobbed. "I just—I just want to go home—to Abby—to the others."

* * *

Connor woke up shortly before dawn the next morning to the sound of fighting.

He looked at the fire, which had died out completely over the course of the night.

He cautiously crept toward the entrance to see a raptor fighting another raptor over a freshly dead pterosaur.

His stomach growled.

"Shut up." He scolded his stomach. "the day I eat anything lizard-like is the day I announce my love for cat food, which will never happen because that's just—weird."

Connor checked the holsters on his jeans followed by holster he wore on his torso, to make sure that the guns were ready to use a moment's notice, should he need them.

* * *

The raptors had left about an hour or so later after devouring the pterosaur. Connor saw this as his chance to head out looking for food or an anomaly, whichever he found first.

Connor unveiled the ring from underneath his shirt. It was his only way of knowing if an anomaly was nearby.

He heard a snapping of twigs behind him and spun around, holding the guns in front of him, ready to pull the trigger.

Nothing.

He started to move quickly through the forest. He could hear something following him. Or was he just being paranoid?

As he ran, he noticed something off to his left, shinning.

"An anomaly." He smiled to himself as he ran toward it and jumped through it.

He rolled down a rocky hill and landed in the middle of a herd of Scutosaurus. Some of them became panicked and began moving away from him, growling.

"Great! I'm back in the Permian!" Connor shouted annoyed as he stood up and ran to evade the panicked herbivores.

He froze when he heard someone shouting at him.

"Hey!" A Scottish voice called from a top a hill where the anomaly Connor had come through presumably closed after he fell through it.

Connor, his face obscured by the goggles and scarf, turned to face the person, who began running toward him.

Connor took off in the opposite direction.

Whatever it took, he couldn't let his pursuer catch him.

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	2. Smother Me

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 2****: Smother Me**

Connor ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Nick Cutter was still following him.

"Come on, Connor. Think. Think!" He muttered to himself as he ran.

He couldn't fight Cutter. He would never fight Cutter, because it just wasn't in his blood; but he'd changed so much since he'd been stranded in the anomalies.

The Cutter he knew was dead.

The Cutter that was chasing him must be the Cutter from the very first time the anomalies were discovered.

If he caught Connor, he would be creating a paradox that was never meant to happen.

"Hey!" Cutter called again. "Stop!"

Connor couldn't think of anything. If they were somewhere where he could climb a tree and hide in it, like the Cretaceous, then he'd stand a chance of getting away from Cutter, but they weren't.

Connor rolled his eyes, he'd regret this; but if Ryan was with Cutter, then Ryan would find him eventually while Connor disappeared to find another anomaly.

Connor saw a boulder up ahead that he could turn and hide behind until Cutter got close enough.

* * *

Cutter ran over the hill still looking for the odd man wearing futuristic clothes that obviously didn't belong in the Permian. Perhaps it was someone, who had unknowingly wandered into the anomaly before they'd found it.

The one thing that didn't click, was the fact that the odd man seemed to know his way around, and that worried Cutter.

As he rounded a boulder that he'd seen the man, run behind, he was knocked to the ground, as he took a right hook to the face. He stumbled to his feet to fight back, but the man punched him again and tripped him before running off.

* * *

Connor tried to convince himself that attacking Cutter in order to get away was what was needed in order to protect the timeline.

After what happened with Cutter and the whole supposed timeline change and Claudia Brown, Connor had to be sure that he didn't screw anything up.

He turned to look behind him to see if Cutter was following him again, but missed the cliff he was running toward and slipped.

Luckily, he managed to grab the ledge.

As he held onto the ledge, he glanced down. The fall was quite far and if he wasn't able to pull himself back up, he doubted that he would survive the fall.

He swung his other arm up onto the ledge and tried to pull himself up, but he found that the angel of the ledge was going to prevent him from climbing over it by himself.

"Great, after all this time trying to find my way back, I get to die from my own stupidity in the Permian." He mumbled to himself, as he tried once more to pull himself up.

He started slipping and was half-surprised that Cutter grabbed his arm and helped pull him up over the edge.

This Cutter had no idea who Connor really was, and, despite having been attacked by Connor, still helped him.

Connor nodded and started to walk away, but Cutter's voice stopped him.

"Wait!" Cutter called. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

"I can't tell ya." Connor said in a gruff voice, trying to be like Batman, so Cutter couldn't discern who he really was.

"You're travelling around millions of years in the past, you attacked me, and you won't even tell me who you are after I just saved your life?" Cutter asked incredulously.

"Thanks; but you wouldn't believe me if I really told you anything." Connor said backing away.

"Try me."

'God, why does he have to be so difficult? Is he trying to make me create a paradox?' Connor thought to himself.

"I'm from the future and I'm lost." Connor admitted before turning on his heel and running full speed in the opposite direction.

Cutter went to give chase, but heard Captain Ryan calling him over the walkie.

He debated whether or not to mention the stranger.

"I'm on my way back." Cutter replied as he turned and headed back to the anomaly.

His conspiracy-loving student, Connor Temple, would at least appreciate the note of a strange traveler in the anomaly; but Cutter would try to return later to look for the man, whose life he had just saved moments ago.

However, making another expedition, would require confronting the government hatchet man, James Lester. It would also require him to spill the information of the mysterious traveler to Lester as well.

It was bad enough that he had to admit to his wife, Helen, that her ridiculous theories, that she badgered him with for eight years, about these anomalies were true.

* * *

Connor watched from a hilltop as Cutter and Ryan exited through the anomaly.

"Home isn't that way." He muttered to himself.

However, if he waited long enough, he could sneak through the anomaly and snatch supplies. Food, water, maybe even a radio to find an anomaly to get him home.

A part of him wanted to believe that it was possible that he could carry out that plan without getting caught.

The other part of him shouted that because Cutter had seen him and had spoken to him, he'd either return, or would have men stationed at the anomaly to arrest him the second he stepped through.

"What the hell do I do?" Connor asked aloud as he sat down on the hilltop and starred at the anomaly.

His stomach growled.

"Forget it." He scolded. "You're not getting a say in this decision. Remember what happened in the Jurassic?"

He shuddered at the memory even though he promised himself after it had happed that he'd never think about it again.

He usually argued with his stomach and himself whenever making decision about survival and anomalies. He tried to convince himself that it was the same difference as having sock puppets and talking to them, but sometimes, he would just get angry and shout at the air.

His hope that he'd ever return to his own time and stop Helen was beginning to dwindle. If this was Helen's plan: to make him the most miserable and borderline-mental bastard, who ever lived, then she was doing a pretty damn good job.

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	3. Choose Wisely

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 3****: ****Choose ****Wisely**

"_And I can't pretend I don't know_

_And I can't leave it alone_"

**-"Best Kept Secret" by Skillet**

Connor had been sitting on the hill for roughly an hour, watching the anomaly. His goggles resting on top of his head, the scarf resting around his neck uncovering his rugged face. He could feel the hotness covering his face, indicating that he was getting sunburned and his lips were dried and chapped as well.

Still, it didn't bother him as much as the decision he needed to make did.

He had not yet decided whether or not he wanted to venture through the anomaly the led to his past.

He had made rules to himself over his sentence in the anomalies.

He wouldn't stray into anomalies such as the one he was now contemplating entering.

He tried to stay away from anomalies with people in general, unless absolutely necessary.

Necessary in way of needed supplies or the like.

The only other way he would enter a human populated anomaly was if it led to home. The anomaly just across the valley didn't lead to home, but it did lead to supplies.

"Wait. Wait a minute." He muttered to himself.

"Although there's nothing that's gonna eat me on the other side, there are soldiers and a paradox that could potentially happen if show up at the wrong time." He muttered back.

"If I go through to get some food and a radio, there's also a possible chance that I could be stuck on the other side."

Connor resolved to approached the anomaly cautiously and test the strength of the anomaly.

If it seemed stable enough, he'd go through to get his supplies and be back through in under 20 minutes.

If it was fading, he would ignore the anomaly and continue on his way until he found a new anomaly.

As he approached the anomaly, the ring around his neck started to lift up.

Connor pulled the goggles over his eyes and the scarf over his face. He took a deep breath before poking his head through the anomaly to check the other side.

* * *

It seemed clear enough. Apart from a guard standing far off from the anomaly, Connor saw that it would be now or never as he forced his body the rest of the way through the anomaly and ran the opposite direction of the guard.

He knew that the hotel near the Forest of Dean most likely would have what he was looking for, but he also knew that Cutter and the others would be there.

It began to downpour as Connor reached the hotel.

He loved the faintly familiar smell the rain gave off here. It made him miss Abby and home that much more.

But now was not the time to be getting emotional and reminisce. There was no room for such things when he was in the red like he was currently.

If he could find a way to sneak into the back way, through the kitchen, then he could collect food at the very least.

* * *

Cutter was sitting at the bar, on his third drink.

The others were in the dinning hall having dinner. Cutter couldn't eat though, not when he knew that there was someone who had known about the anomalies before them, someone who knew their way around.

"Nick, what are you doing out here?" Helen asked as she sat down next to him.

"Just thinking." He replied with a smile.

"If you're still sore about having to admit that I was right—"

"It's not that." Nick cut her off.

"Then, what?" Helen asked. "You shouldn't be skipping meals."

Nick didn't say anything.

"Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you about what you saw on the other side." Helen began.

"Don't you think we could do this another time, Helen? It has been a long—"

Nick was interrupted by a ruckus in the kitchen.

* * *

Connor managed to sneak into the kitchen. There were still a few lights on, but it looked as if the kitchen had closed for the night.

He crept towards the fridge, not letting his guard down.

He looked around for something to carry the food in.

Connor noticed a small duffle bag that must have been left behind by one of the hotel staff. He quickly grabbed it and rifled through it.

There were some clothes and a pair of sneakers, as well as a notebook and some textbooks and pens.

"Must be a student." Connor smiled to himself as he quietly placed the textbooks on the floor and proceeded to put some food into the duffle bag.

Connor froze when he saw a first aid kit across the room.

Connor put enough food in the bag that he was sure the staff wouldn't notice missing immediately and wouldn't spoil as fast.

He approached the first aid kit, but stopped as he heard voices. He ducked to the ground and hid.

When he heard no one enter the kitchen, Connor poked his head up to assure himself that no one was in the kitchen as well.

Connor jumped to his feet, grabbing the first aid and stuffing it into the duffle bag, and slinging it over his shoulder when he heard talking again.

He heard talking again and froze.

"Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you about what you saw on the other side." Helen began.

"Don't you think we could do this another time, Helen?"

"Helen?" Connor muttered to himself in disbelief. "How?"

Connor then got the feeling that he should go, but as he turned to run, the duffle bag hit the pots hanging overhead, causing them to all fall and clang against the stainless steel tables.

"It has been a long—What was that?" Cutter asked as he walked toward the kitchen, Helen right behind him.

Connor ran out of the kitchen, down the wooden steps and into the forest.

* * *

His blood rushing via the adrenaline, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he tried to focus on getting back to the anomaly and keep his newly acquired supplies.

He could hear to voices calling after him, despite being slightly far off, Connor could tell that they would catch up to him if he didn't pick up the speed, they'd surely catch him.

"Hey!" Connor could discern Cutter's voice.

"Stop!" Another voice called. A voice Connor now remembered hearing all those years ago.

'Stop getting emotional.' He mentally scolded himself as he ran faster. 'If they catch you, it's all over.'

As Connor reached the anomaly, he noticed the guard closer to the anomaly.

"Oi! You there! Stop!" The guard ordered as he raised his gun.

Connor rushed toward him and knocked the man over using the duffle bag, before jumping through the anomaly.

* * *

Connor kept running, distancing himself form the anomaly.

He knew that Cutter wasn't an idiot. Neither was Helen.

They were both no doubt now trying to following him, with or without military escort.

* * *

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	4. Changes

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 4****: Changes**

As Connor cleared the hill he had been sitting on moments earlier, he could hear Cutter and Helen shouting after him; but he also heard Captain Ryan calling after them.

"Cutter! Helen! Stop! We need to get back to our side of the anomalies!" Ryan shouted, running behind them.

"There's someone else out here!" Helen called to Ryan over her shoulder.

"Great." Connor muttered to himself as he ran.

Just what he needed. The biggest paradox ever would be created if he was captured and dragged back through the anomaly.

Connor ducked as he heard gunshots fired at him.

"Don't shoot!" Cutter shouted at Ryan.

"Nick, humanity could be at stake because of this person!" Helen challenged.

Connor had to laugh to himself as he took temporary refuge behind a boulder. Helen caring about humanity was a joke within itself.

Then again, maybe if she hadn't done all the horrible things she did, he would be thinking such things.

Connor grabbed one of the guns from his holsters and cocked it and he peeked round the giant rock.

They were closing in on him, coming up the hill. He needed to find an anomaly to escape through and fast.

He'd have to buy some time by shooting at them, to be able to run away. Connor took a deep breath as he stood and started firing at the trio.

"Get down!" Cutter yelled as he pulled Helen to the ground. Ryan dove to the ground as well and began to fire back.

"We need to go back through the anomaly!" Ryan shouted as he fired back.

"Not without that man!" Helen objected.

Connor saw their arguing as his chance to escape. He turned and ran for cover, his rain-soaked clothes tight against his body.

Cutter turned and saw the anomaly pulsating. "I think the anomaly's getting weaker."

"He's getting away!" Helen shouted as she stood to chase Connor.

"We are leaving! We'll worry about him another time." Ryan said as he and Cutter grabbed Helen and dragged her back toward the anomaly.

* * *

Connor didn't care if they were still following him or not. He ran until he found a little alcove under a hill to catch his breath.

After several minutes of waiting silently, Connor heard nothing and assumed that they had gone back through the anomaly.

Connor picked up a nearby stone and flung it off into the distance with a shout.

He didn't care if any predators heard him at the moment.

"I can't believe it!" He scolded himself. "After all of the sci-fi movies I've seen in my life, I get flung into Helen's past and end up causing a paradox, preventing her from ever going through the anomalies and everything!"

The icing on the sour cake was that Connor had now realized that he'd been gone for eight years and not the two to three years that he had orignally assumed.

Connor's scolding was interrupted by his stomach rumbling.

Connor knew that he should take the soaked clothes off and let them dry, but his hunger was overpowering common sense at this point.

He replaced the gun in its holster, still reeling from the reality that he'd actually shot at Cutter and Ryan, and pulled the scarf down around his neck.

He took the duffle bag off his shoulder and dug through it, producing a small can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup.

Connor downed the can. It was sweet and slightly bitter, because it was fairly cold and didn't have water added to it.

While he was grateful for the food, his stomach didn't seem to agree and he was sick immediately afterward.

Connor dragged the back of his hand across his mouth, but it didn't rid him of the smell or the horrible taste in his mouth.

He reclined back against the back of the alcove and closed his eyes for a few moments, breathing deeply.

* * *

When he opened them again, it was night outside. The stars glittering in the sky.

Connor rummaged blindly through the bag, looking for a bottle of water. He opened a bottle and took a small sip. He was intent on making these supplies last as long as he could. He placed the bottle back in the bag, but stopped when he felt something amongst everything else in the bag.

He pulled out a small, white box.

"A wind-up radio." Connor smiled to himself.

He quickly zipped the duffle bag and slung it over his shoulders.

He emerged from the alcove. Even if there was no anomaly, he couldn't very well stay here long or he'd be eaten.

He started to wind up the radio listening for the strange, yet familiar interference that would indicate an anomaly.

Although there were no radio stations in the Permian, there was static…._and_: an anomaly signal.

* * *

Connor walked for what seemed like hours before he finally located the anomaly.

"Finally, farewell Permian, hello….whatever's on the other side of the anomaly that will hopefully _not_ kill me."

Connor jumped as he heard a roar.

He turned slowly to see a Scoutasaurus and sighed.

"Thank God you were a Gorgonopsid." He muttered to the dinosaur, before making his way to the anomaly and slipping through.

* * *

Connor looked around.

"Definitely not home and definitely not the Permian." He commented as he moved further away from the anomaly.

There were cliffs, mountains, and a vast forest that welcomed Connor with creepy roars and what sounded like monkeys on helium.

As he entered the forest, he realized that he had probably made the biggest mistake by not figuring out where exactly he was in time.

He lowered the goggles, so that they were around his neck with his scarf, and he could see his surroundings better.

Connor froze when he heard some twigs snap behind him.

As he turned to see what was behind him, he was knocked unconscious.

* * *

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	5. The Outsider

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**Chapter 5****: The Outsider**

"_And this is who I am when,_

_When I don't know myself anymore._

_And this is why I choose when_

_It's all left up to me_."

**-"Breathe" by Red**

"The fact that someone has travelled through the anomalies before us and has an unconfirmed vast knowledge of the anomalies is far from reassuring." Lester announced, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I don't think he's hostile." Nick Cutter smirked.

"_Not_ dangerous?" Helen gaped. "He opened fire on us with live ammunition on the other side of the anomaly, Nick. How is that _not dangerous_?"

Cutter shrugged. "He had to have had his reasons."

"Great, so now not only do I have a maverick to deal with on a daily basis, I have a time-hopping sociopath to deal with." Lester shrugged. "I'm still not feeling the warm fuzzy feelings of new friendship."

"Probably because you're not 'teddy-bear' quality just yet." Cutter smirked.

"How good of you to attempt compassion, Professor Cutter; but we have more pressing matters."

"I say if that man comes back through the anomalies, we arrest him and find out what he knows." Helen stated.

Cutter glanced at his wife like she was mad.

"We're dealing with a human being here and you're talking as if we're tracking some sort of elusive creature."

"Hell, Nick, he might know how the anomalies began and why! We can't pass up such a scientific breakthrough."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but, the marriage counselor is two blocks south of here. So, if you don't mind, take your little sleuth gang and 'investigate'—something." Lester cut in.

Helen glared at him, while Cutter merely smirked, before turning and leaving Lester's office, Helen in tow.

* * *

"Ethan! I cannot believe that you would do such a thing!"

"He was tracking our group, Charlotte. What did you want me to do?" Ethan asked as they stared at the young man, Ethan had knocked unconscious with a branch.

"Emily!" Charlotte called to her friend, who approached them.

"I told you two not to wander from the group. You know the rules." Emily scolded.

Charlotte merely pointed to the unconscious man.

"Ethan caught him tracking the group and whacked him with a branch." Charlotte explained. "Is he still alive?"

"I don't know. There's one way to find out." Emily spoke softly as she moved closer to the stranger.

"He must have wandered through a gateway, like us." Emily noted, as she took in the man's appearance and the weapons he carried.

"I told Ethan to leave the man's weapons alone, in case the creatures came for him." Charlotte continued.

"Shh." Emily commanded as she kneeled beside the strange wanderer and placed an ear on his chest, over his heart.

"His heart still beats and he's breathing." Emily commented.

She jumped when the man shoot awake and tried to grab her, only to be knocked unconscious again, this time by Emily via a nearby branch.

"What do we do with him?" Charlotte asked.

The tree creepers made their chilling calls nearby.

"We leave him." Ethan spoke. "Better him than us."

"No." Emily objected.

"What then?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"We take him back with us and question him when he awakes." Emily resolved.

"And what if he tries to kill us? Hm? What then, Emily?" Ethan asked angrily.

"We'll deal with it then, Ethan." Emily explained.

"I'll carry the giant satchel." Charlotte offered as she slung the large bag over her shoulders and stumbled backwards.

Ethan caught her.

"Thank you, Ethan." She smiled.

"Can you manage it?" He asked.

"I will." She confirmed. "Help Emily, please."

Ethan grabbed onto the man's legs, while Emily latched onto his arms.

"One, two, three, heave." Emily commanded as she and Ethan slowly carried the unconscious man back to their camp where several others were waiting for them, with Charlotte walking close to them carrying the giant satchel.

* * *

Connor blinked his eyes before forcing them open and coming into contact with easily the worst migraine he's ever experienced.

It slowly stared to come back to him.

He'd come through an anomaly from the Permian and had been wandering through the dense forest when someone attacked him.

He came to and tried to wrestle whoever had attacked him, only to be knocked out again.

"Starting to get sloppy." He muttered to himself.

Connor suddenly felt cold metal against his throat.

A knife. A small, thin, durable, _sharp_, cold knife.

"Who are you and why are you trailing after my group?" A woman's voice asked.

He turned his head slowly to see a young woman, possibly around her mid to late twenties.

She had dark, reddish, brown hair that was half-pulled up and the rest slung shortly over her right shoulder with dark brown eyes. She was wearing slightly tattered purple skirts, a white blouse, mostly obscured by a dark brown leather jacket and dark leather boots.

"I don't suppose I've stumbled upon a travelling nomadic group in a forest somewhere in the UK, huh?" Connor asked quietly.

Connor heard the familiar roars he encountered when he first came through the anomaly that led him here.

"Guess not." He mumbled.

"You did not answer my question. And what is 'UK'?" she asked confused.

"I'm—Connor. Connor Temple. And you?"

"Emily."

"That's—a—that's a really beautiful name—do you mind taking the knife away from my throat before I go into a panic attack?"

Emily slowly withdrew the knife, not letting her guard down.

"Why are you following us?"

"I'm not following anyone. I'm trying to find my way back home." Connor explained.

"You're lost? Like us?" Emily asked, sounding somewhat relieved.

"Us?"

She turned to reveal a group of at least seventeen other people.

"Wow. I never thought that _this_ many people would end up time nomads."

"What are you talking about? We were lost through the gateways that found us one way or another." Emily hissed.

"How long have you been _lost_?" Connor asked, staring at the group, who were huddled around a tiny fire.

"Most, myself included, three years. Others, much longer."

In the eight years that he'd been wandering the anomalies, he'd never actually encountered a group this large surviving this side of the anomalies.

He needed to come to a decision as to whether or not to continue his wanderings and find Helen or to help these out-of-time humans.

* * *

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	6. New Perspective

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 6****: New Perspective**

"_I wanna stand up, I wanna let go  
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't  
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men  
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand_"

**-"All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers**

"How long have you been _lost_?" Connor asked, staring at the group, who were huddled around a tiny fire.

"Most, myself included, three years. Others, much longer."

In the eight years that Connor had been wandering the anomalies; he'd never actually encountered a group this large surviving this side of the anomalies.

He needed to come to a decision as to whether or not to continue his wanderings and find Helen or to help these out-of-time humans.

Emily helped Connor to his feet.

"I am sorry about the rude welcome; but as I am sure you've realized, it's a dangerous place; travelling the gateways."

"I might have noticed." Connor shrugged. "And it's fine, Emily. I'm just not—used to running into others lost in time."

Then, he realized that the duffle bag he'd lifted from the lodge was nowhere near nor on his person.

"We're the first people you've seen in how long, exactly?"

"I've been lost for eight years, but I only go through anomalies to people-populated areas to occasionally gather small supplies that I can carry." Connor explained.

"We very rarely enter gateways leading to people unless absolutely necessary." Emily explained.

"It's dangerous." Connor agreed. "By the way, I was travelling with a large bag, any idea where it went?"

Emily smiled. "Yes, Charlotte brought it back with us. Ethan and I carried you here."

Emily motioned for Charlotte to come over with the bag, Ethan near Charlotte as they approached Connor and Emily.

"This is Connor." Emily introduced. "Connor, this is Charlotte and Ethan."

Charlotte handed the bag gingerly to Connor.

"Thank you." Connor nodded.

"You'll be leaving then?" Ethan glared.

"Ethan!" Charlotte and Emily chided.

Connor could tell that this Ethan guy clearly did not like him for some reason and Connor had no intentions of starting any type of hostility amongst a group this size.

"You're welcome to stay with us as long as you like." Emily offered, before Connor had a chance to say anything.

"I suppose I'll stay for a little while, at least, until another anomaly opens." Connor replied, keeping Ethan in view.

A sudden roar was heard off in the distance.

"The tree creepers." Charlotte spoke, backing near Ethan.

Another sound was heard, the sound of something being slaughtered.

"What the hell was that?" Connor asked, debating whether or not to draw a gun.

"The sound of dinner for us all tonight." Ethan smirked.

Connor looked around Emily to see that about six of the group was dragging an arboreal raptor towards them, wrapped in vines. They had strangled it to death.

"That's—dinner?" Connor asked, trying to hide the disgust in his voice.

"Of course," Charlotte replied. "They killed three of our people when we came here; it's only fair."

"There's nothing fair about killing creatures." Connor pointed out.

Charlotte said nothing as she wandered over to the larger group.

"We're doing you a favor by letting you stay with us." Ethan spat before following after Charlotte.

"Don't worry about Ethan; he's like that to everyone, except Charlotte." Emily assured Connor.

"It's alright," Connor replied. "Ya can't win everyone."

"What do you mean 'win everyone'?" Emily asked confused.

"When are you from again?" Connor asked, changing the subject.

"1867."

"Victorian London." Connor nodded.

"What about you? You're clearly from a different time yourself."

"I'm from 2010; but everything's changed so much, I don't think what I left is still there." Connor explained, thinking of the paradox he'd created eight years ago when he stopped Helen from entering the anomalies for the first time.

"You left willingly?" Emily asked curiously.

"Not really." Connor frowned at the memory of when Helen had kidnapped him and put him through all of this.

"What happened?"

Connor had been on his own for eight years. He'd never really had anyone to tell the story to and Emily, this girl he'd only just met, seemed interested in why he'd come this far.

"It's a long story." Was his response. "If you'll excuse me."

Connor turned and walked away to gather his thoughts as the group began to dismantle the raptor and cook it.

* * *

Connor had managed to find himself a spot up on a hill next to cliff, which he leaned against. He didn't want to stray too far away from the group, but he didn't want to be near them either.

One, because of their food choice. Two, because he couldn't afford to get attached to anyone.

He could still smell the horrible stench of cooked dinosaur from here.

It made his stomach turn.

Connor searched through the duffle bag for something that wasn't dinosaur flavor and wasn't going to cause him to vomit from eating it so quickly.

He located a granola bar. It wasn't much, but compared to his ridiculous diet of mostly bulbs and grub over the past eight years, this was a feast.

* * *

Emily watched as her group feasted on the fallen tree creeper. It was starting to grow darker and they'd soon have to start making their way to the caves where they spent the nights for safety.

She was worried that the newcomer, Connor, had wandered off on his own. If he did not return soon, he would be at the mercy of the tree creepers.

"Emily," Charlotte spoke, snapping Emily from her reveries. "Why don't you eat something?"

Emily smiled. "I think our new companion is in need of food more than me."

Emily leaned forward and picked up a chunk of meat.

"I'm going to find him and we will meet all of you at the caves. Once you are finished eating, put out the fire and head to the caves in an orderly manner. Charlotte, you are in charge in my stead." Emily announced before going off to find Connor.

* * *

Just as Connor was about to take a bite of the granola bar, he noticed Emily wandering up the hill towards him.

"Good evening," she spoke, climbing the hill.

"Evening." Connor nodded, before taking a bite.

"I thought you might be hungry," Emily said, holding out her hand with the meat to Connor.

"Uh, thanks, really; but I don't really have the stomach for eating lizards." Connor politely refused, finishing his granola bar.

"I'd hate for this to go to waste, I brought it for you." Emily clarified.

"I'm fine, honestly. You can have it." Connor smiled.

A brief silence fell. Connor debated whether to tell her to return to her group, or try to excuse himself again.

"I was investigating strange disappearances in the forest outside my town." Emily revealed, as she sat down next to Connor and took small bites of the meat.

"Disappearances?" Connor asked, looking to her.

Emily nodded. "People from my village would disappear without any reason at all. It was only when I took it upon myself to investigate that I stumbled upon the gateways. I entered through a gateway and was trapped on the other side, shortly after I stepped through."

* * *

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	7. Down With The Sickness

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 7****: Down With The Sickness**

"_No longer the lost  
No longer the same  
I'll keep you alive  
If you show me the way  
Forever and ever  
the scars will remain_"

**-"Give Me A Sign" by Breaking Benjamin**

Connor was on one of his walks through the Cretaceous forest that he took daily to check the perimeter. He had been with Emily's group for nearly four months. The food supplies that he had brought here in the duffle bag had dwindled quite quickly in his crusade to stray the group from eating the raptors.

The smell of the cooked raptors had always made him rather ill.

Connor paused to listen. He could hear the arboreal raptors off in the distance.

He'd travelled by himself for over eight years and had taken to the solitude. Despite his decision to stay with the anomaly nomads for the time being, Connor hadn't much changed from how he'd gone about things before meeting the group. Emily had opened up to him and told him stories of her time, as well stories of the other members of the group; but he still kept to himself. The only thing that had kept him alive to this point was keeping himself from getting too emotional.

He kept all of his personal details, other than the basics, to himself. Connor assumed this was the reason that Emily kept telling him stories about herself and the others, hoping he'd open up.

Emily constantly warned against Connor's lone treks into the forest. Connor, of course, ignored her; he'd been surviving this side of the anomalies much longer than she had.

Then, there was Ethan. The man had a mean streak and threatened Connor when he had the chance. Charlotte, the woman, who seemed to be able to quell Ethan's anger, would always break up the argument before it reached hand to hand combat.

Connor's plan was to finish his trek and then head back to the outskirts of the camp to shorten his locks.

He was certain that he resembled Rapunzel to an extent. His hair had grown long down to the backs of his knees. Emily had offered to cut it for him, pointing out that it was dangerous for him to have his hair so long.

Of course, Connor had refused the offer. He refused to depend on anyone for help; the curse of his anomaly purgatory.

Connor was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of twigs snapping behind him.

He spun around, gun drawn, expecting a creature.

It was Emily.

Connor sighed and replaced the gun in his holster. "I thought I told you not to follow me?"

"I'm not." Emily replied. "I came to gather more firewood."

"Right." Connor replied, noting that Emily had no firewood in her hands.

"I have," Emily defended.

Connor saw in her eyes that there was something else.

"That's not all, is it?"

Emily looked at her feet. "Charlotte's fallen ill. I think she may need medicine."

This was a problem. One Connor was sure how to fix. During the past eight years, whenever he happened to get sick, he'd tuck himself in a narrow crevice and hope the creatures, inhabiting wherever he would fall ill, would leave him be long enough that he could pull through. He'd had close calls himself.

It was also a problem, because the closest thing Connor possessed now, was a first aid kit and he had no real medical experience.

"Why didn't you say something before I left earlier?"

"Charlotte wasn't awake. She's running a fever, Ethan's worried sick, as are the others, myself included."

"Let's go." Connor nodded.

Emily turned to start leading the way back, but they both stopped when they hear rustling in the trees above.

Connor turned to see an arboreal raptor inching towards them.

"Emily, I'll distract it." Connor spoke softly. "I want you to run back to the camp as fast as you can."

"What about you? You can't handle a tree creeper on your own." Emily pointed out.

"I'll be fine." Connor assured her, keeping an eye on the creature.

Connor had no plan, and shooting the creature was obviously a last resort.

Connor turned to push Emily away, only to be grabbed by his ridiculously long hair that he was now regretting not cutting earlier.

He struggled against the creature, trying to pry his hair free without scalping himself in the process.

Emily kicked some dirt up into the creature's eyes, causing it to let go of Connor. She bent down and grabbed Connor by the arm pulling him to his feet and away from the predator.

"What are you doing? You're gonna get us both killed!" Connor shouted at her as she tugged him through the woods.

"We have to get back to the others to help Charlotte." Emily reminded him.

"Now that we've got _that_ chasing us, we're going to put everyone else at risk."

"I've got a plan." Emily called over her shoulder as she pulled Connor around a corner and down a hill, weaving between the trees.

"What plan?" Connor asked, glancing around looking for the raptor.

They stopped at a large pile of branches. Emily picked one up and tossed it to Connor, who caught it.

"Plan?" Connor prompted again.

"Supper?" Emily smiled, wielding a branch as well.

Connor didn't approve of the group's methods of eating the wildlife here in the Cretaceous, but he'd have to make an exception just this once to save his skin as well as Emily's.

The raptor made its horrible call as it landed on the ground a few meters away from Emily and Connor.

"We can't just bludgeon it to death, Emily." Connor pointed out.

"Care to go in search of vines at a time like this?" Emily countered as the creature closed in.

Connor took a quick once over of their surroundings and noticed a vine hanging from a nearby tree.

"Look off to your right." Connor spoke, nodding his head to the vine.

"I'll keep it occupied, while ya lasso it." Connor said, as the creature lunged at them.

Connor took a hard swing at the arboreal raptor, knocking it to the ground. It lay unconscious, but still very much alive, breathing heavily. He'd only managed to stun it.

Emily came over to his side; vine in hand, ready to wrap it around the creature's neck.

"Come on; let's get back to camp before it comes to and we become dinner." Connor said taking the vine from her hands, trying to guide her away.

"What about supper?"

"We'll find something else for everyone to eat. Charlotte's waitin' on us." Connor stated, as he guided Emily away from the raptor and back to camp.

* * *

Connor sat staring at the dying fire, chopping off his long locks, throwing the discards into the fire; thinking of what he could do.

Charlotte was dying from smallpox. He hadn't said anything earlier because he didn't want to worry anyone even further and didn't want to get into a fight with Ethan.

She was running a fever and growing more and more weak by the hour. Connor had given her some aspirin from the first aid kit to attempt to bring down the fever, but it wouldn't _cure_ her by any stretch. Charlotte needed medical attention and she needed it soon or she definitely wouldn't make it.

"If only an anomaly would open up to the modern day." Connor muttered to himself as he tossed another branch onto the fire.

Connor smiled at the thought of seeing Abby again after all these years. Then frowned, remembering that he probably compromised it by changing the past by stopping Helen from traveling the anomalies.

He was surprised see Emily wander over the fire and sit across from him.

"Shorter hair suits you." Emily complimented.

"Thanks," Connor nodded, as he finished off cutting his hair so that it was just above his shoulders. He wasn't feeling brave enough to cut it any shorter.

"You shouldn't be out here; the tree creepers could overpower one man easily." She warned.

Connor laughed, as he poked at the fire.

"I do not see what the humor is in the threat of death." Emily gaped at him like he was mad.

Connor stopped laughing. "Emily, I've survived this side of the anomalies for well over eight years. I can take care of myself, but thanks for the concern."

"So, how's Charlotte?" Connor asked, not waiting for a reply from her.

"She is resting now, but she's not doing much better. I fear for her life, that she might not make it." Emily admitted.

"Emily," Connor spoke, quickly organizing his thoughts.

"I—I didn't want to say this earlier to give false hope; but if we can find an anomaly that leads back to my time, we can save Charlotte. She'll be fit as a fiddle."

Emily gave a confused look at Connor's last sentence.

"The gateways are unpredictable. We never know when one will appear to somewhere else."

Connor waved his wind-up radio.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm going on a patrol with this to look for an anomaly. If I find one back to my time, I'm coming back and we're going to get Charlotte the medical attention she needs."

* * *

Sorry for the wait!

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	8. Come Home

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 8****: Come Home**

"_Turn back to my dreams, turn back to my home  
And think about a moment which is different to the one I have_"

**-"Wrong Time, Wrong Place" by Ophidian**

Connor woke up before anyone else in the group that morning, like he usually did. He slung the rucksack over his shoulders and made sure the wind-up radio was still in his pants pocket before wandering off to look for an anomaly.

As he reached the edge of where the group dared to venture, Connor got the feeling that he wasn't alone. He spun around to come face to face with Emily.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be keeping an eye on the group." He said angrily.

"I am." She replied simply.

"Why are you following me?"

"I am keeping watch on a member of the group and I want to keep the hope alive that we will find a gateway to your world to help Charlotte." Emily explained.

Connor shook his head and continued his trek, winding up the radio, hoping for a distantly familiar interruption in the static.

"You don't trust me, why not?" Emily asked.

"Try wandering in and out of anom—gateways for over eight years by yourself, like I have, and then tell me how much your view on being near people has changed."

"Ethan told Charlotte that he has been on his own for a long time as well. Both of you have something in common; but you are nothing like Ethan."

"No, I'm not. I don't go picking fights with everyone." Connor retorted, walking up a hill.

"You of all people should know what it's like. I've been on this side of the gateways for three years. I—"

Emily was interrupted by the noise Connor was hoping for.

Connor grinned.

As he continued forward looking for the origin and found the anomaly in a clearing near a cliff face.

"Is it safe?" Emily asked, the sound of creatures resounding from the forest.

"I don't care where it goes, I'm going through it." Connor said, more harshly than he'd intended.

"We should go back and get Charlotte."

Connor nodded.

* * *

"There's a way to save Charlotte?" Ethan asked, cradling Charlotte.

"We have found a gateway, but we do not know how safe it is." Emily confirmed.

"If there's a remote chance of help on the other side of that thing, I will get her help." Ethan glared.

Connor watched the exchange silently. Maybe Emily was right. Maybe he and Ethan had something in common: their will and determination to save and protect someone the loved.

"Anomalies, they—" Connor cleared his throat. "They don't stay open long and there's no telling how long that one's been open. So, if we _are_ going to make this trip, we need to go now."

"Are you taking command now?" Ethan asked incredulously.

"No, I'm only saying this because before I disappeared, I used to do research on the anomalies."

Lester would be having a cow right about now if he'd heard Connor disregard the Secrecy Act that he signed all those years ago.

"Ethan, please, don't argue." Charlotte whispered, breathing heavily.

Ethan smiled at Charlotte before turning to Connor and Emily.

"Let's go."

* * *

When they arrived at the anomaly, Connor pulled his goggles on and covered up the rest of his face with the scarf.

"What is that supposed to do?" Ethan spat.

"I prefer it if no one noticed me, that's all." Connor affirmed.

"It makes you look like an imbecile." Ethan muttered.

Connor shook his head at Ethan, turning back to the anomaly.

"I'll go first," Emily offered.

"No," Connor stopped her. "It'll be better if I go first; I'll make sure the way is clear."

Emily nodded. "Alright, be careful."

Connor turned and took a deep breath before passing through the anomaly.

* * *

Connor looked around; the anomaly seemed to lead to the backstage of a theatre. He wandered for a bit and ended up on stage. They were in fairly modern times, modern enough that the medicine should be able to save Charlotte.

Connor ran back through the anomaly.

"Let's go, quickly. It's modern enough for a hospital that can give Charlotte the medical attention she needs to get well." Connor explained, not feeling the least bit exhausted.

Emily helped Ethan with Charlotte, while Connor darted to doors, looking for a set that would be unlocked. Unfortunately, all of them were locked and one of his rules was to leave little to no traces of his being in the area.

Charlotte was fading, though, and there was no time to think about rules. Connor took out one of his handguns and shot the lock off one of the doors.

Ethan lifted Charlotte up into his arms.

"I'll take it from here." He said, before darting out of the door, calling for help from the outside world.

Connor and Emily jumped at the slamming of a door in an opposite part of the building.

"We need to hide." Connor whispered.

Noises that Connor vaguely recognized as the siren of ambulances could be heard outside.

Connor hid behind the dusty curtains while Emily hid behind a rack of costumes.

"Jess, no sign of creature incursion, yet." A voice, foreign to Connor stated.

They'd made in back to modern times, but Connor wondered how far.

If this guy worked with the ARC, was there a possibility that Abby was still around? Was she still looking for him?

The danger was temporarily eclipsed by Connor's overwhelming excitement to see Abby again after all these years. Especially since their last conversation before Helen had kidnapped him wasn't exactly friendly.

_"It matters to me, when someone I love is keeping secrets from me and acts like a completely different person anymore!" Abby shouted as tears streamed from her eyes._

_"I don't have any choice!" Connor shouted._

_"You always had a choice, Connor! And now, you're __choosing__ to act just like, like-"_

_"Say it." Connor said sternly._

_"You're acting just like Stephen!"_

_Connor lowered his head, and replied heartbroken, "I think, I need to be getting back to the ARC and take some time to think."_

_"Connor. Connor, I didn't mean it." Abby apologized._

_Connor wandered up to his room, packed a small rucksack and headed back down the stairs, toward the door._

_"Connor, please don't go. I didn't mean it." Abby pleaded, tears falling from her eyes._

_"I'll see ya in a few days, Abby" Connor replied as he walked out the door._

Connor thought about that conversation everyday. And everyday, he regretted never letting Abby in when it was obvious that Helen had been manipulating him and his trust in the others.

Connor's attention was brought back to the present when the danger once again became clear. There was a light bang followed by a scuffling noise. Emily must've knocked something over.

Connor needed to make sure that she was okay and that this guy knew they were on friendly terms.

* * *

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	9. A Different Time, A Different Place

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**A/N****: Sorry for the slow updates, I've got a new job and the hours are up in the air from start to finish; but I'll do my best to update regularly. **

* * *

**Chapter 9****: A Different Time, A Different Place**

"_I'm getting on, but what's the use?_

_You know how I get_

_I can't decide which is the truth_

_At least not yet._"

**-"Goodbye Again" by Vertical Horizon**

Connor snuck out of the curtains and glanced in the direction of the anomaly. Emily was heading back to the group on the other side.

"Wait!" The voice called, sounding as if the man was chasing after Emily.

Connor stepped back into the shadows and noticed the man in a dark jacket and jeans, approach the anomaly, hesitate and drop something on the ground before rushing through after Emily.

"I've gotta get that guy out of there before he causes more unnecessary problems." Connor muttered before coming out of his hiding place and approaching the anomaly as well.

Connor was about to step through the anomaly as well to help Emily as well, when he heard a familiar voice from so long ago.

"Freeze! Turn slowly and put your hands up in the air."

Connor wanted to laugh. Since when did Becker act so hostile towards him? Then again, Connor was donning odd clothes and had been missing for well over eight years.

Connor turned to face Becker and—Abby! Abby was still around! Her hair had grown, but she was still Abby. Connor wanted to cry and run to embrace her; tell her he was sorry for all the mean things he'd said and done all those years ago and that he loved her.

"Remove the articles covering your face." Becker ordered.

Connor couldn't find the words to speak; he was solely focused on Abby. He found himself moving closer towards them, no regard for safety.

"I said 'stay where you are!'" Becker repeated with a shout.

Suddenly Connor felt a blast of air or energy hit him in the stomach, sending him backwards, aching with pain. He slowly faded to unconsciousness, thinking about Abby.

* * *

Abby and Becker stood outside in the hallway of the hospital room, looking in through the window.

"This job just got stranger." Becker commented.

Abby said nothing, as she continued to stare at the man laying unconscious in the hospital bed.

"Hi, how are things down here?" Matt asked as he approached his teammates.

"He's still not woken up. How's the mystery woman?" Becker spoke, when Abby didn't immediately say anything.

"No change either." Matt responded.

Becker glanced between Matt and Abby before nodding.

"I'll go check on the status of the anomaly." Becker stated before leaving.

Matt moved closer and wrapped an arm around Abby.

"It's bothering you, too?" He asked quietly.

"It doesn't make sense." She whispered. "He looks eight years older than he did before we left the ARC this morning. And according to the doctor, he's slightly malnourished and underweight. I already confirmed with Jess that Connor's still at the ARC in his office. So how did he get here?"

"Suppose we should ask him when he wakes up." Matt replied.

"I have a feeling this will be a long night." Abby muttered, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'll have the staff move the girl down here as well, so we can keep an eye on them both." Matt spoke.

* * *

Connor groaned, when he felt someone shaking him. He couldn't remember what happened or where he was, but he felt like he'd been hit by Scutosaurus.

"Connor, Connor wake up, we must leave, quickly." Emily hissed, shaking him.

Connor shot up. "What happened?"

"We were captured." Emily explained, quickly shoving Connor's clothes at him. "Hurry, they will be here any moment."

Then, Connor remembered, Becker shooting him. Connor quickly changed from the hospital garment to his clothes, while Emily's back was turned, ignoring the pain.

"I really want to say that the people who 'captured' us are good guys, but after getting shot by what I'm going to assume is some sort of futuristic taser, I think we need to have a chat with them." Connor said, hanging the goggles and scarf around his neck.

"How do you propose we do that?" Emily asked, glancing at the door.

"And they took my guns, brilliant." Connor muttered to himself, before noticing the unconscious guard. "D'you do that?"

Emily nodded. "We need to go, before they come back. They were talking about locking us up."

"Great and we've nothing to defend ourselves with. What about Ethan and Charlotte?"

Emily shook her head. "I have not seen or heard from them since we came through the gateway."

"We need to find them, Emily."

"What about the group?"

"We'll make it back before the anomaly closes, unless you want to go back now and leave everything to me."

"No, the three of you are my responsibility."

"So are the fifteen other people on the other side of the anomaly." Connor countered, solemnly.

"We need to find Charlotte and Ethan before we return." Emily spoke sternly before turning and checking the hall.

Seeing the coast was temporarily clear, Connor and Emily crept into the hallway. Connor noticed Abby, Becker, and the man who had chased after Emily walking in their direction.

Connor grabbed Emily and pulled her into the stairwell, motioning for her to keep quiet.

"I thought you said they could be reasoned with?" Emily asked.

"Yes, I'm hoping, but I don't remotely know the guy who chased after you. Only the other two." Connor whispered, watching the Abby and the others.

'Where's Sarah, Danny, and Jenny?' He wondered, remembering the other members not present.

"They're gone." The man confirmed.

"I told you we should have kept a better eye on them." Becker glared.

"We'll find them." The man replied calmly.

"Yeah, and then we're putting them in seclusion cells." Becker retorted before storming off.

"Do you see?" Emily asked.

Connor sank against the wall.

"I can't believe it." He spoke quietly in disbelief. "I finally make it back and I'm a fugitive."

"What do you want to do?" Emily inquired quietly, checking the hallway.

Connor wanted to process everything. Something wasn't adding up. Could the paradox he created all that time ago and his encounter with Cutter and the others have caused this?

Emily didn't belong in this time, but she didn't belong in the Cretaceous either. If they were looking to catch someone, he'd turn himself over to them after making sure Emily got through the anomaly back to the group. Then he could worry about finding Ethan and Charlotte.

* * *

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Abby and Connor conversation next chap!


	10. Cause and Effect

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 10****: Cause and Effect**

"_Half the time I never saw it coming, until it was over  
Oh, and half of my mistakes I've made with love on the line_"

**-"Half of My Mistakes" by Gary Allan**

Connor and Emily managed to escape the hospital without notice and made their way back to the theatre.

"Ethan." Emily called in a hushed voice. "Charlotte."

"We should hurry before they trace us back here." Connor explained, glancing around.

"We are responsible for them, we cannot just leave them here."

Connor heard the doors open and close.

"They're here." He whispered. "Head back to the group, I'll look for Ethan and Charlotte."

"I am not leaving the three of you here." Emily whispered sternly.

"But you'll leave the fifteen others on their own?"

"That is not fair."

"Come on," Connor spoke, leading Emily toward the anomaly.

* * *

When they reached the anomaly, it was locked.

"What is wrong with it? It did not look like that earlier." Emily asked.

"It's locked." Connor commented as he crouched down to the anomaly locking mechanism he'd created so long ago.

"Do you know how to work this?" Emily asked, keeping watch while glancing between Connor and the anomaly.

"I did, let's see if I still remember." Connor cracked his fingers and started typing with foreign fondness of keys he hadn't touched in years.

After two tries, Connor got the anomaly to unlock.

"Hurry, get through it." Connor spoke frantically, ushering Emily toward the rip in time.

"What about Ethan and Charlotte?"

"I'll find them. Get back to the group." Connor said, starting to push Emily through the anomaly when he heard the only voice that could stop him in his tracks.

"Connor?" Abby spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Connor froze, as did Emily.

"I know it's you. What's going on?" She asked.

Connor reluctantly turned to face Abby; removing his goggles and scarf, so they hung around his neck.

"It's too long a story, Abs." He replied solemnly.

"Tell me." She pleaded.

"Don't move!" Becker shouted as he and Matt came rushing backstage, to stand next to Abby.

"I should be the one asking what the hell's going on." Connor stated.

"I will shoot you, again." Becker threatened, not lowering his weapon.

Emily moved to stand next to Connor.

"It's fine." He muttered to her.

"Why _did_ you shoot me, Becker? I thought we were mates?"

"We didn't know it was you at the time, Connor." The other man explained.

"And I definitely do _not_ know you." Connor commented.

"That's Matt Anderson; he's been working with us for months." Abby explained.

"I've _never_ seen him in my _life_!"

"Let's just go back to the ARC; we can chat about this there."

"We can't." Emily spoke up.

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because of something that happened eight years ago." Connor commented. "Something Helen Cutter's done. I've got to fix it."

"Helen? As in Professor Cutter's wife?" Becker asked confusedly.

"Is there any other?" Connor asked dryly.

There came a growling from the anomaly behind Emily and Connor.

"Tree creepers." Emily muttered, as she and Connor turned to face the anomaly.

The anomaly started to pulsate.

"It's going to close." Connor shouted, the group waiting for them on the other side coming back to mind.

"We've got to get back through." Emily said making to enter the anomaly.

As they went to enter, an arboreal raptor jumped through, only to be shot back through by Becker, the anomaly closing promptly.

"Dammit!" Connor shouted.

"You've trapped us here." Emily looked to Matt, Becker, and Abby.

"This is your time period though." Matt commented.

"No, it's not. Thanks much, you've just condemned fifteen people to their deaths!" Connor shouted.

"There were others on the other side?" Abby asked.

"Why else would we be trying to get back through?"

"Why did you come through in the first place?" Becker asked harshly.

"One of our own was in need of medical assistance." Emily responded.

"Four of us came through." Connor confirmed.

"So there's still two running about London somewhere? Brilliant." Becker muttered.

"What now?" Abby asked, looking to Matt.

"Let us go find our friends." Connor demanded, keeping an eye on Matt, sneaking glances at Abby when he could.

"I'll have my men check all local hospitals." Becker confirmed.

"You don't know who they are or what they look like. If they see military, they will run." Connor pointed out.

Becker ignored Connor before turning to Matt. "They go back to the ARC for questioning. I'll find the other two."

"I'm team leader. I'll call the shots." Matt affirmed.

Becker merely nodded and left.

"Team leader?" Connor asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but we can discuss this later, come on." Matt answered.

"Where's Danny? And Sarah and Jenny?"

Abby and Matt shared a look before turning back to Connor and Emily.

"I think we need to compare notes." Matt stated, calmly.

"We're not going to the ARC." Connor stated firmly, once more.

"Coffee, then?" Abby offered.

"Where?"

"At our flat." Abby responded.

Connor's expression seemed to soften at Abby's words. At least they still lived together, despite his paradox.

But he and Emily were now stuck here until something was worked out or another anomaly opened. They had no other choice but to trust their "hosts" until then.

* * *

Sorry it's so short. Work's been crazy and I really wanted to post at least something until I get proper time to sit and write a longer chapter.

Please Review! ;D


	11. A Little Too Late

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 11****: A Little Too Late**

"_A delicate world held by a thread  
But you warned me to be careful with desire  
Pain is plentiful  
The more you find the more you fall_"

**-"Secrets" by The Divine Madness**

Connor felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart. When Abby had said 'our flat' Connor hadn't assumed that that translated into hers and _Matt_'s flat. What the hell else had he drastically changed because of Helen's tricks?

He sat quietly next to Emily on the sofa, comparing certain notes with Abby and the supposed team leader. He kept some things to himself and left others out, hoping to gain their trust and vice versa before he said anything else.

"Tell me about this Prospero place." Connor spoke.

"No one knows much about it. Other than that's where Phillip and Helen mostly hideout and control the ARC from."

Connor gritted his teeth. Helen was still alive. She was still the evil and conniving bitch he remembered, but for different reasons seeing as she'd never gone through the anomalies.

Cutter and Stephen had had 'convenient accidents' during one of the missions, which later led to Phillip taking over the ARC completely.

Connor was trying to process the extent of his mistakes, barely aware of Emily, watching his expression while seated next to him.

"What about Lester, Danny, Jenny, and Sarah?" Connor asked, watching Abby's and Matt's reaction.

"Lester is still in charge of field missions for the time being. Danny's gone off back through the anomalies after his brother, who turned out to be some sort of serial killer." Matt explained.

"Jenny and Sarah?" Connor raised an eyebrow.

"Jenny left after an incident that nearly killed her."

"The fungus creature." Connor stated.

Abby nodded. "She hasn't come back. She's off living a normal life somewhere."

"And Sarah?" Connor asked once more.

Abby looked at the floor.

"Sarah Page was killed while out in the field. It's been hard on the team." Matt explained.

"Oh, was that an accident as well? Like Cutter and Stephen?" Connor spat.

"Future predator." Abby said quietly. "Becker's not been the same since."

"You've shut yourself up in some lab since we came back from the Cretaceous; it's a rarity when someone sees you." Abby spoke again after a few more moments of silence.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I will fix it." Connor affirmed.

"Good luck." Matt spoke.

"'scuse me?" Connor asked.

"Phillip's got a chokehold on the ARC and anything to do with it. Anyone who goes near Prospero without clearance is shot on the spot."

"So, he just guns down anyone who's not in his good graces?"

"Creatures are disappearing from the menagerie as well, but because of his chokehold, no one can prove it."

"Where's Rex?" Connor asked.

"We keep him here. Just barely managed to sneak him out." Abby explained.

"Sid and Nancy? Are they alright?"

"Who's Sid and Nancy?" Abby asked puzzled.

"Two Diictodons we got at a hospital anomaly when they couldn't make it back through the anomaly in time." Connor stated, in disbelief that anyone could forget the two beaver-like creatures.

"We never got that anomaly."

"Look, it's getting late; I think we should all turn in for the night." Matt said after a few moments of silence.

* * *

Connor couldn't sleep. It was sometime in the middle of the night and he found himself on the roof of the flat going over things in his head.

His stupid mistakes and Helen's antics had cost him more than he'd thought. Seeing as Helen was still alive in this time, she might have what he needed to go back and fix what he'd done.

"I suppose you could not sleep as well?" Emily asked as she came up onto the roof to where Connor stood, overlooking the city.

"How do you—how do you sleep when you know that you've caused a massive amount of damage to time that may or may not be repairable?" Connor asked, looking out over the view.

"Surely, whatever's been done can be fixed?" Emily spoke.

Connor sighed. It didn't matter now, he might as well share the story Emily's been dying to hear since he first encountered her and her nomadic group.

"You wanted to know my story of how I ended up travelling the anomalies?"

Emily nodded.

"I worked for the ARC once upon a time; like I was saying earlier. Jenny Lewis, had quit the team, but after receiving an anomaly alert at her house, we found out that Helen had kidnapped her." Connor paused, glancing at Emily for a second before continuing.

"Turns out the whole kidnapping thing was just a ploy to get me there. Helen used everyone's greatest fears against them, cloning loved ones and using them against us. After nearly killing everyone and nearly killing me, Helen tried to kidnap me, but Danny stopped her. I ended up in a coma because of blood-loss, but following a long recovery several months to a year later, Helen popped up again."

Emily said nothing, listening intently.

"She managed to turn me against everyone. I didn't trust anyone and fell right into her trap. I pushed everyone away, even Abby."

Connor took a deep breath, reliving the nightmare that led him to today.

"Helen succeeded in kidnapping me and after using me to fix some machine for her and showing me a bleak future, she shoved me through an anomaly. I wish I'd known at the time that said anomaly led to the day she disappeared. I inadvertently stopped her from ever entering that anomaly. And spent the next eight years wandering between anomalies with nothing but a gun and the supplies that I occasionally stole from other time periods."

"But you made it home, that's good, isn't it?" Emily asked.

Connor shook his head. "Home for me was a life with Abby and the others. Helen took that from me when she turned me against everyone and tricked me into creating a paradox that caused all of this."

"But she's downstairs, you could tell her everything you just told me." Emily spoke, gesturing to the room beneath their feet.

"That's not the same Abby." Connor looked down. "The Abby I knew and loved was similar, but altogether a different person. The woman downstairs has a different life, a different boyfriend, different everything."

"I'm sorry." Emily spoke quietly.

"For what? None of this is your fault."

"I'm sorry that things have turned out like this. Everyone deserves to be happy and you've had a harder life than I have."

"Everyone's life is hard one way or another." Connor shrugged. "I've just been stuck in traffic for the exit."

Connor and Emily continued their conversation for while longer; unaware that Abby was listening nearby, hiding in the shadows of the fixtures on the roof, heartbroken.

* * *

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	12. Conspirators and Wanders

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**A/N: Big thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and alerting! You're awesome! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 12****: Conspirators and Wanders**

"_I'm a breathing, talking_

_Dead man walking._"

**-"Dead Man Walking" by The Script**

_ "Hold him," Helen ordered the Cleaners, who restrained Connor the second she vocalized the order._

_Connor watched as Helen typed furiously at the giant screen, possibly inputting coordinates to open an anomaly._

_She turned and, smiling at Connor, opened an anomaly._

_"What are you doing?" Connor asked as the Cleaners moved him toward the anomaly._

_"Oh, just giving you your reward," Helen smirked._

_"What?" Connor asked in disbelief._

_"On the other side of the anomaly is something you've been seeking." Helen answered._

_"Abby?"_

_"It could be the lizard girl or even answers. I'd say the best way to find out would be to take a little trip don't you?" She asked._

_"If it's not taking me somewhere I wanna go then I'm not going anywhere near it." Connor answered bluntly not taking his eyes off the glowing time portal._

_Helen walked over to Connor and tucked the handgun she'd been carrying in the back of Connor's jeans._

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Connor asked angrily._

_"Happy landings." Helen laughed as she nodded for the Cleaners to push Connor through the anomaly, which she promptly closed behind him._

Connor shot awake, coming face to face with Abby.

"What do you want?" He asked, suddenly remembering what had happened in the past 24 hours.

"You were asleep outside." Abby spoke after a short silence.

Connor looked around. "How did I get in here?"

Abby pointed to the patio door, where Connor noticed it was storming outside.

"You're lucky you were sleeping against the door, it was much easier to get you inside."

"I wouldn't exactly consider myself 'lucky'."

Abby glanced at the floor. "I—I overheard your conversation with Emily last night."

Connor brushed the comment off. "Where's Emily?"

"She's in the bathroom washing up." Abby replied, standing and moving away from Connor.

"Oh," Connor spoke with a nod.

"So, why didn't you mention what you said last night to Matt and I?"

Connor narrowed his eyes, before shaking the expression for a light conversation. "So what's this new ARC like?"

"You're not going to shake me that easily." Abby crossed her arms.

"Actually, I was planning on avoiding the conversation altogether."

"I just want to understand."

Connor and Abby locked stares before they were interrupted by Matt and averted their eyes.

"We should be getting to the ARC before anyone notices how late we're running." Matt spoke, pulling his jacket on.

Abby nodded as she went and grabbed her jacket.

Matt looked to Connor. "You and Emily stay here, feel free to make yourselves at home. We'll try to be back as soon as we can."

Connor merely nodded, stealing glances at Abby while she and Matt left to go to the ARC.

* * *

"Do you trust him?" Matt asked as he and Abby drove to the ARC.

"I do, to a point. What about you?"

"I think if his story is anything to go by, he might be able to help us take Phillip and Helen down. We need to see if he's told us everything and find out if he and Emily would be willing to help our cause."

Abby nodded. "And if not?"

Matt pulled into the parking lot of the ARC and looked at Abby. "Hey, we'll worry about that road when we get to it. Okay?"

"Okay." Abby replied before briefly kissing him.

"Come on, we have a job to do." He smirked before getting out of the truck and entering the ARC with Abby.

* * *

Connor attempted to lie down on the couch and convince himself to somehow calm down. He couldn't get comfortable; not when the extent of his paradox was weighing down on him.

This wasn't home.

Nothing was how he'd left it when he was taken.

He needed to mend his mistakes and fix the past.

"Something is troubling you." Emily spoke, snapping Connor from his thoughts.

Connor sat up and gave her a knowing look. She was wearing Abby's clothes and was drying her hair with a towel.

"I meant, apart from what you told me last night." Emily clarified.

"Abby overheard what I told you last night. Not that it matters, I just need to get them to trust me enough."

"What are you going to do?"

"If they can get hold of the technology I need, assuming I'm not completely rusty, I'm going to hack into Prospero to confirm my assumptions."

"What assumptions?"

"If Helen's as curious about the anomalies as it sounds and she's not gotten lost on the other side because I unknowingly took her place, then I'm wondering if she and Phillip are constructing some way to open anomalies."

"They are the ones that created the anomalies?"

"I don't think so, but if I can find a way to open an anomaly to the exact moment that the paradox happened—"

"You're going to try and stop it." Emily cut-in.

Connor nodded. "I'm going to cause one paradox to cancel out the other one. Hopefully, that'll set things right again."

"But what if it doesn't?"

"I've thought about it. And if I time it correctly, it'll be as if it never happened."

Emily hesitated. "And everything else?"

"I'm not sure." Connor admitted. "It'll be hard to tell what's changed."

Connor sensed what Emily was getting at.

"I can't promise that you and the others won't end up on the other side of the anomalies after I fix things; but I can promise that I'll help you get home beforehand." He gave a reassuring smile.

"I'm not sure I'll want to go back to the 1800s after what I've experienced these last few years.

"I know the feeling. I almost didn't want to come back to humanity after wandering for eight years. But I have to ask, where would you go if not back home to the 1800s?" Connor asked curiously.

Emily shrugged. "Somewhere that felt like home to me."

"I see." Connor cleared his throat. "Just make sure you're going where you want to be so when I go back eight years in my past, you won't be caught in the crossfire."

"I will."

"I'm going to wash up; I'll be back in a bit." Connor stated as he stood and wandered off toward the bathroom.

* * *

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	13. If There's A Rocket, Tie Me To It

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**Chapter 13****: If There's A Rocket, Tie Me To It**

"_From yesterday, it's coming_

_From yesterday, the fear_

_From yesterday, it calls him_

_But he doesn't want to read the message here_"

**-"From Yesterday" by 30 Seconds to Mars**

Connor and Emily had been stuck in the alternate timeline for a little over a week. Emily seemed to be adapting to living in modern times, while Connor become more and more uncomfortable. He spent all of his time plotting and planning a way to get into Prospero to find out what Helen and Phillip were working on.

"If you manage to get into that building how are you going to know what you're looking for?" Emily asked sipping her tea.

"We'll know for sure when and if Abby and Matt can get the information I need to hack their systems." Connor explained, looking out at the city.

It seemed normal enough.

The threat of Prospero seemed like some fairytale. But with Helen involved, nothing was safe.

She caused this future, with Connor's help, and now he needed to undo it.

"We're back." Abby announced as the door closed and she and Matt came up the stairs into the living room.

"Did you guys manage to get any of it?" Connor asked standing.

"We didn't manage to get you a computer, because Phillip would notice if one had left the ARC; but we did manage to get a copy of the hard drive." Matt explained, handing the hard drive to Connor.

"Don't suppose you have a computer that I could use to go over these files?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, one with a secure line and everything." Matt explained.

"Thanks, I'll see if I can hack into in and find out what's going on." Connor replied, turning the hard drive over in his hands.

* * *

A few hours later, Connor was at work hacking into his alternate future's hard drive.

"Have you gotten in yet?" Emily asked, watching carefully.

"I'm having a bit of trouble with these last two firewalls." Connor admitted, not looking up from the laptop.

"No offense, but this is your own hard drive you're hacking into." Matt pointed out.

"No, it's an alternate future me. There are differences between me and him. And I haven't had to do this in over eight years, so forgive me if I'm a bit rusty." Connor said more harshly than he intended.

"You managed to unseal the anomaly."

"That even took more than one try." Connor said as he cracked another firewall.

"So not everything's the same,—"

"I'm in." Connor cut Abby off.

"What'd you find?" Emily asked, as she watched pictures and words flash across the screen.

"Something about harnessing anomalies."

Connor's eyes grew wide when he came across the next piece of information.

"What is it?" Abby asked.

Connor pointed to a picture on the screen. "That's what I was working on when I was kidnapped."

"Which is?"

"An anomaly opener and a generator to power them." Connor spoke.

"This is what everyone's been getting killed over?" Emily shook her head.

"You don't understand, when I started working on it, I had the intention of stopping the anomalies so Helen and the creatures wouldn't be able to come through." Connor clarified, running a hand through his hair.

_"A device to close and hopefully prevent anomalies," Connor cut in._

_Sarah shot Connor a shocked, yet confused look._

_"Really?" Lester asked. "I don't suppose you're trying to create your own personal whatever that time thing was from that show."_

_"A stargate, no," Connor replied. "This will be much more real, controllable, portable, and maybe even a bit sexy."_

_Lester gave Connor a slightly disturbed look._

_"It'll be complete over the next few months with the help of the Artifact and the Matrix." Connor began to explain. "But with all due respect Lester, I really don't want anyone other than the three of us to know about it, at least until it's been completed and properly tested."_

"So, all we have to do is destroy this machine."

"It's not that easy," Matt retorted, looking at Emily. "As Abby and I have said before, unless you're on Prospero's nice list, you're not getting in there alive."

Connor looked down.

As if reading his mind, Abby spoke up. "Connor is."

Connor closed the laptop. "I need to get some fresh air."

He stood and wandered to the roof. Emily stood to follow as well, but stopped herself and sat down again.

* * *

The sun was setting.

Connor had been up on the roof for a few hours now. He knew what he had to do. If he was going to set things right, he needed to break into Prospero and stop their projects.

"_You told Lester that we'll have a device completed and tested in the next few months, when we're still studying the Artifact and the Matrix isn't even remotely complete!" Sarah shouted._

_Connor set the papers down on his desk and motioned for Sarah to close the door._

_"Listen to me Sarah, it is vital that we complete this device as soon as possible and stop the anomalies." Connor explained._

_"I understand the urgency of wanting to shut Lester up and permanently close the anomalies; but I don't understand why you're acting like this!" Sarah responded._

_"Like what?"_

_"Like you're hiding something! You act like someone is watching your every move and something bad is going to happen if they find out what we're working on!"_

Connor heard the door to the roof slam shut. He turned and was surprised to see Abby.

He forced himself to look away. She wasn't the same.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked.

Abby crouched down next to him and gingerly handed him a picture.

Connor looked closely at the picture. It was him. He looked exhausted.

"I had Jess take it via the security cameras."

"Why give it to me?"

"If you're going to break into Prospero, you're going to need to look the part." Abby spoke quietly. "Phillip's no fool."

Connor tucked the picture in his pocket and looked out at the city setting into nightlife.

"It's a suicide mission. You know that?" Abby spoke after several minutes of silence.

"I caused this. I need to fix it."

"Fix what? Phillip and Helen from taking over the ARC?"

"Everything." Connor spoke.

Abby went to say something, but Connor continued. "People died in my timeline. Cutter, Stephen, Tom, all of them died because of this. Danny and Jenny were engaged and planning a wedding. Becker wasn't some angsty soldier. He was _happy_ and _in love_ with Sarah."

"And you?"

Connor laughed coldly in an attempt to hold back the tears at the memories that he forced himself not to confront over the past eight years.

"After nearly dying, I woke up from a coma and the most beautiful girl in the universe told me she loved me."

Abby glanced at the ground.

"'Course there's always that awkwardness that we were still getting over. Like going from sleeping in different beds to the same one."

"I'm—I'm sorry; but—that's not me."

"'Course it's not. The paradox I caused made sure of that."

Abby hesitantly put a hand on Connor's arm. "We were together. Here, in my timeline, for a short while anyway. But you got caught up in your work and—"

Connor moved slightly as if he'd been shocked by Abby's touch.

"Helen's mucked everything up for me. I need to fix the past."

Abby removed her hand.

"I need to restore that happiness to everyone before that incident eight years ago."

"I—I know it's not what you want to hear. But I am happy, despite living with the constant threat of being killed. I—I love Matt."

Connor laughed again. "Yeah, and you sound so sure of it."

Abby slapped him before turning and leaving the roof.

Connor put a hand up to his cheek where Abby had slapped him. This wasn't what the future was supposed to be like.

Connor shook his head.

Back to business: Breaking into Prospero.

* * *

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	14. Wires

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus! Work's been eating up my time.**

**I'll do my best to up date regularly! Also, this chapter is a bit dark, just a bit of forewarning! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 14****: Wires**

"_You got wires, going in_

_You got wires, coming out of your skin_

_You got tears making tracks_

_I got tears that are scared of the facts_"

**-"Wires" by Athlete**

Connor sat on the couch staring at the laptop computer screen. He had hacked into the security cameras of the ARC a few days ago and had spent the majority of the day staring at the screen, watching anything and everything that happened. He set up his own firewall to make sure no one could trace back the feed to the computer he was using.

Abby and Matt were already putting their lives at risk by housing him and Emily. As far as Becker or anyone knew, Connor and Emily had simply "slipped away" through another anomaly.

The red-haired girl, Jess Parker, spent the day in front of the ADD; running diagnostics and coordinating filed missions, while stealing looks at Becker. Becker, Connor cringed inwardly remembering the last encounter with the soldier; Becker patrolled the hallways when there wasn't an alert with a stern look on his face as if he couldn't stand the place. Then again, he had lost Sarah, and it was only logical that he'd feel that way. Connor understood the feeling all too well.

Matt sat in an office surrounded by plants, which, had the past eight years or so not happened, Connor would have found odd. Abby took care of the creatures in the menagerie; unless she went to visit Matt or vice versa.

Connor tried not to pay too much attention to Abby, constantly reminding himself that she wasn't _his_ Abby, but an alternate Abby with a different life.

* * *

Abby sat at her desk, attempting to focus on filling out paperwork that was due at the end of the day. She was tired. Moreso than usual.

Another creature had gone missing out of the menagerie again; a smilodon this time.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to concentrate.

This job and the plan that Matt was trying to put into action was really draining, mentally and physically.

They hadn't yet figured out if they should let Becker into the loop. As far as he knew, Connor and Emily had slipped away fled through another anomaly.

Abby tried to remember the better days of the ARC; before everyone started dying.

She sighed.

_"I need to restore that happiness to everyone before that incident eight years ago."_

_"I—I know it's not what you want to hear. But I am happy, despite living with the constant threat of being killed. I—I love Matt."_

_Connor laughed again. "Yeah, and you sound so sure of it."_

She shook her head. The Connor living in her and Matt's flat was from an alternate timeline. She shouldn't let him get to her.

She was happy with Matt. She still _is_.

She looked up as Matt entered and forced a smile across her face.

* * *

Connor saw Matt entering the menagerie and the look of joy on Abby's face. Connor made a face and switched over the feed as Abby and Matt shared a brief kiss.

The feed landed in his alternate self's lab.

Connor looked on as the man, who shared nearly every aspect of his life, worked himself into the ground on parts of the project he himself had been working on before Helen kidnapped him.

Connor's wrist, the one that still bore the scar from the handcuffs, became itchy as he continued to watch the feed, scratching his wrist absentmindedly.

"You're an idiot. D'you know that?" He muttered at the computer screen to the Connor, who continued to work, looking older than he was.

"You had the woman of your dreams; and you traded love for treason." He scowled.

"And…it's all my fault."

Connor was unaware of Emily's presence, as she came from the kitchen with some tea, stopping mere feet away from his as he continued to glare at the screen and scold the images.

He watched with scrutinizing eyes as the devil herself, Helen Cutter, entered the lab with Phillip Burton. The younger Connor jumped happily around the desk, suddenly much livelier to show them his progress on everything.

They merely nodded proceed to talk to the younger him about something that Connor couldn't quite make out because of the angle of the security camera.

Connor could've sworn he heard a crash, but was too focused on trying to figure out what was going on in the lab.

He was snapped out of it when he felt Emily's small hands grab his. He felt a cloth-like material touch his wrist that felt raw and flashbacks from eight years ago came flooding back to him fresh as he jerked his arm away from Emily's grasp as if he'd been burnt.

The feeling reminded him of how Helen had caused him to rub his wrist against the handcuffs till it bled and she bandaged it up.

Emily grabbed his wrist again, pulling it toward her and placed the towel around it and tied it tightly.

"Connor, what have you done?" She asked, fear lining her voice.

Connor was lost in thoughts, barely aware of what Emily was saying to him.

_"Oh dear." Helen frowned. "We can't have you bleeding to death on us, now can we?"_

_Helen reached into her pocket and pulled out a cloth._

_"Don't touch me." Connor warned shooting Helen a death glare._

_"If I don't wrap this, you'll be in a lot of trouble, both for your life and for the future." Helen said as she wrapped the cloth tightly around Connor's wrist._

Emily saw that she wasn't getting through to Connor and began to grow more frightened. The poor man had somehow managed to scratch his wrist until it was now bleeding and raw. She needed him to answer her so that she could help him.

There was only one way to get his attention it seemed.

Connor snapped back to reality as he felt Emily's hand make contact with his face. A hand flew instinctively up to his cheek.

"What was that for?" He asked, clueless.

Emily gestured to his wrist that she was still cradling.

"What did you do?" She inquired again.

"I don't know." He answered. "I must've forgotten I was scratching it or something."

"Come with me, we have to bandage this up." Emily spoke softly as she pulled him to his feet and led him to the bathroom.

Connor didn't fight. He was having his own issues trying to stay grounded in the here and now.

* * *

Connor sat still as Emily proceeded to clean the wound, put antiseptic on it and bandage it.

"Where'd you learn how to care for wounds like that?" Connor asked flatly as Emily finished bandaging his wrist.

"From you." She smiled. "Watching you help the members from out group when they needed the medical attention that you were able to supply."

"I'm no doctor, Emily." Connor spoke before standing and leaving the bathroom.

"No, you aren't." Emily spoke sternly, following after him. "But you do care for people."

Connor stopped and turned around to face Emily. "It might have escaped your notice; but everyone that I have ever remotely _cared_ _for_ are _**gone**_."

Connor's anger had flared up so much that it hadn't bothered him that tears glistened in Emily's eyes, forcing spill over at any moment.

Just then Abby and Matt came up the stairs and into the flat.

"Thought you guys might be hungry, so we brought back some pizza." Abby spoke semi-cheery, until she noticed the tense stand-off.

"Is something wrong?" Matt asked, knowing no one else would mention it first.

"Everything's fine." Connor replied, not looking at anyone.

"We were—" Emily took a deep breath. "We were just discussing something that is all."

"I'm going to get some fresh air." Connor stated before walking off briskly.

Emily closed her eyes, hoping to quickly compose herself before turning to Matt and Abby.

"Any news?"

* * *

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Who do you want to see Connor with before Matt's plan is put into action? Abby or Emily? Comment or message me your thoughts/suggestions!


	15. Picture Perfect

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue!**** ;D**

**A/N: I promise the rest of this story to have some more twists and turns, so keep a close watch! ^^**

* * *

**Chapter 15****: Picture Perfect**

"_Emptiness inside me, wonder if you see_

_It's my mistake and it's hurting me_

_I know where we've been, how'd we get so far?_

_What if, what if we start again?_"

**-"Start Again" by Red**

Connor sat down on the roof, leaning against a wall, as he stared out across the city in the late afternoon light.

Emily trusted him completely. Hell, she even looked up to him.

And that, he thought, was dangerous enough.

People were dead because of him. Time was twisted because of his own stupid mistakes. No one should trust him, not even Matt or Abby.

Connor glanced down at his wrist that Emily had bandaged up. Spots of red polka dotted here and there. He hadn't realized that he'd gotten carried away with scratching. Oddly enough, he wasn't bothered by the injury. The memories that hit him full force are what bothered him.

He shook his head, half-wondering if they would still plague him if he succeeded.

* * *

"What happened?" Matt asked, noting the broken china littering an area on the floor.

"I—I was coming in from the kitchen area and accidentally tripped." Emily stumbled, snapping her attention from where Connor had been standing.

"I'll clean it up." Emily said after a slight pause.

"I'll help you." Abby spoke, setting the pizza down on the table and going to get the broom and dustpan.

"I have to go talk to Connor about some plans." Matt interjected, before heading off after Connor.

* * *

Connor turned his head to the doorway as he heard the door swing open to reveal Matt, walking his way.

Connor returned to looking out over the city.

"They still have no clue, do they?" Connor asked, starting out.

"We have to finalize what we're doing, Connor." Matt spoke.

"I know. Time's running out. People are going to start dropping like flies."

Matt moved forward and sat down next to Connor against the wall.

"What's going to happen with the anomalies is going to happen whether you created that paradox or not, Connor." Matt explained.

"Still, people have died because of me and I need to fix this." Connor replied sternly.

* * *

"He seems so different." Abby spoke as she and Emily finished cleaning up the broken glass.

"How so?" Emily inquired. "He's the same."

Abby shook her head. "He's…different than the Connor I know, but the same person at the same time. If that makes any sense."

"He's just a heartbroken man trying to fix a mistake he made." Emily affirmed.

"Matt told me on the way home that it's almost time to put the plan into action." Abby said, changing the subject.

"When?"

"A few days from now. Matt says it has to be then, it's important." Abby clarified.

* * *

"Should we bring Becker into the loop?" Matt pondered aloud.

Connor turned to look at Matt as if he were crazy. "After he shot me and you told him Emily and I were long gone?"

"He hates this time as much as all of us do. And you know that he's a great marksman." Matt reasoned.

"The less people involved the better. Prospero didn't exist in my time; I don't want to take any risks by adding more lives to this suicide mission."

"Just think about it, okay? Let me know by tomorrow." Matt said as he stood.

"My answer won't have changed by then." Connor called after Matt as he left the roof.

* * *

"What are you going to do after this is all over?" Abby asked.

"Connor promised me safe passage to a time period of my choosing before he goes off to fix what needs fixed." Emily revealed.

Abby nodded. "Have you decided where it is you want to go, yet?"

Emily was caught off-guard by the question. "N—no, not yet."

Abby smiled. "It's alright, Emily. You don't have to tell me."

Emily smiled back, as she went to say something; Matt came back into the room.

"Who's hungry?" He asked, playing off the tension that was clear on his face.

"I'll go see if Connor would like some." Emily gave a smile before excusing herself.

* * *

"I've not changed my mind in the whole thirty seconds that you've been gone, Matt." Connor spoke without turning around as he heard the door to the roof open and close.

"Made up your mind about what?" Emily asked, sitting down next to Connor.

"Nothing." Connor shook his head. "Just some last minute plans Matt and I are working out."

"Anything I can help with?"

"No, we've just about sorted it."

"It's beautiful." Emily commented, looking out over the city as the sun began to set.

"Suppose it is."

"I can see why you enjoy coming up here at the same time."

Connor shrugged. "Just easier to think up here, seeing as everything is going to change in a few short days."

"When we make our move to invade Prospero."

"According to Matt it has to be that exact time."

"Why?"

"Because, that's when the world is going to end."

"We'll stop it. We can just go before then."

Connor shook his head again. "If we go any earlier, Emily, it'll mess everything up. In a few days, my alternate self will have completed what Helen and Phillip have him working on and thousands of anomalies will open all over the world. Matt claims it's a natural occurrence."

"Everything will work out. You've come so far at so much cost."

"People have died because of me, Emily. Now, more are going to if I can't get into that building to stop my paradox."

Emily hesitantly took Connor's hand that she'd bandaged earlier.

"You're not alone in this quest."

Connor looked up at her. "Have you decided where you want to go yet before I open the anomaly to the time period I need to go to?"

"We need to change your bandages soon."

"Emily."

"There's also pizza downstairs that's growing cold, if you're hungry?"

"Emily." Connor spoke, raising his voice a tad.

"What?"

"I'm a dangerous man. It's not safe to be anywhere near me."

"You're the safest person I know and I trust you with my life." Emily assured him.

"I'm leading everyone on this mission to their deaths. Anyone without clearance to Prospero is shot on spot. I don't want to see anyone else die."

"It's my choice." Emily spoke sternly, looking Connor in the eyes.

"Now, come on," She heave him to his feet. "Supper is going to be frozen if we delay any longer."

* * *

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	16. Falling In

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue! ;D**

**Chapter 16: Falling In**

Connor and Emily returned downstairs to find Matt and Abby nowhere in sight.

"Perhaps they have already retired for the night?" Emily wondered aloud.

"They were probably called out on an anomaly alert." Connor guessed as he sat down on the couch and opened the pizza box.

Emily sat beside him and chose a piece.

Connor ate bite after bite, even though he wasn't very hungry; he was more or less eating to humor Emily.

"This is the most wonderful meal I have ever had." Emily commented as she finished her piece.

"Better than dinosaur?" Connor asked.

"Much better." She smiled and Connor dropped his gaze to the pizza box.

"Used to eat nothing but pizza before everything happened." He spoke quietly.

"I'm—sorry." Emily apologized, noticing the sad look in his eyes.

"Why?" Connor asked puzzled.

"I didn't mean to bring up a soft subject." She explained.

"Can't run away from memories." He muttered as he took another bite, forcing himself to swallow it.

Emily glanced at the bandages around Connor's wrist, polka dotted in red from blood when she dressed it earlier.

"I need to change your bandages on your wrist." Emily stated, watching Connor.

"Never mind about my wrist, there are more important things to worry about." Connor replied.

He didn't look up as Emily stood up and walked off.

He knew where she was going and didn't budge as she returned with fresh bandages and antibiotic to put on his wrist.

She took a pair of scissors and very carefully cut the old bandages off.

Connor aware of the cold metal gliding across his skin, but remained still.

Emily gently applied the antibiotic on his wrist, which was oddly soothing to Connor, as she proceeded to wrap his wrist with fresh, new bandages and taped it.

"There we are." She smiled.

"Emily, you really don't have to."

"You can't do it on your own." She stated, looking him in the eye.

Connor seemed to think she answered several statements.

They finished eating in silence, before Connor broke the silence.

He stood up and went into one of the rooms before going into the kitchen and rummaging in the trash bin. He came out with some empty cans and motioned for Emily to follow him.

* * *

"What are we doing?" Emily inquired as she followed Connor to the rooftop.

"I need to teach you how to shoot a gun." Connor explained flatly.

As much as he didn't want Emily or anyone else going with him on this mission, Emily was the only one among the group, who didn't—at least to Connor's knowledge—know how to fire a gun.

Emily didn't say anything. She waited as Connor attached a part to the gun and stood waiting for his instructions.

"Because we don't need choppers or police showing up," Connor spoke as he walked over to a small wall setting up the cans. "We're gonna use a silencer."

"A silencer?"

"It'll mute the sound, but have a similar effect if it wasn't there." Connor explained.

Emily nodded.

Connor motioned for her to come closer.

When she approached him, Connor motioned for her to stop.

"Turn around, your back facing me."

Emily did as she was told, unsure of what to expect, somewhat frightened.

"Keep your body still and turn your head to the right."

As Emily did so, Connor placed the gun in her right hand, quickly grabbing her hand as it started to drop from the unexpected weight.

"Relax, and try to picture the gun as an extension of your hand." He instructed.

Emily started to involuntarily turn to the front to fully face her target.

Her breath hitched as she felt Connor's hand on her hip, pulling her back to him and keeping her arm wielding the gun trained on the cans.

She couldn't recall a time when she was ever this close to Connor.

"Keep your eyes on the cans and fire." Connor instructed as he pushed against Emily's finger on the trigger firing a few shots at the cans, knocking them over.

Emily stared at the blank spots where two of the five cans had been shot off.

"I'm going to let go and you're on your own, alright?" Connor announced.

"I'll do my best." Emily nodded.

She took a deep breath and did her best to ignore the weight of the gun as she pulled the trigger.

She clipped the top of one can.

"Concentrate and focus on the target." Connor encouraged.

Emily narrowed her eyes and thought of something that angered her before pulling the trigger and hitting can.

"Not bad." Connor nodded in approval.

Emily smiled back.

* * *

A few hours later, Connor and Emily went to collect the battered cans.

"You're a fast learner." He noted.

"You know as well as I do that is what is necessary to survive the gateways." Emily beamed at what she took as a compliment, picking up one of the cans.

"The will to keep pushing yourself forward is what's necessary to survive that hell." He spoke sternly as he gathered the other cans and got to his feet.

"Is killing necessary to complete your task?" She questioned.

"If things get too bad, yeah." Connor replied coldly.

* * *

As they started to walk down the stairs, Emily froze.

"I left the gun on the wall." She stated frantically as she turned to run back up the stairs.

"Emily, don't worry, I grabbed it." Connor assured her as he moved up the stairs after her, not expecting her to stop dead.

Emily stopped dead and turned around coming face to face with Connor, her foot hanging half off of the step. Nearly closer, she thought, than when he was showing her how to shoot the gun.

She could feel his warm breath on her face as they stood there not breaking eye contact.

Emily stood waiting, expecting for Connor to say something.

For him to remark about the inappropriateness of their proximity; but he didn't.

He merely kept eye contact with her as if he were lost somewhere in thoughts of his past; as the look he had fixed on his face was one he wore many times when he reflected on things.

"You said you have the gun?" Emily inquired, forcing herself from the trance.

Connor only blinked and replied that he did as he turned and continued down the stairs.

Emily took a deep breath of air in, feeling as if she hadn't breathed in the moments of what had just happened.

* * *

"I don't have the time to be dealing with secret parties, Matt." Becker spoke sourly as he was led up to the living room area.

"We just finished a tough anomaly alert, and I would like to go home." He added.

"Just a minute, mate." Matt replied as they entered the living area.

Becker stopped as he saw Connor and Emily enter the room from the other side.

"You."

Connor's immediate instinct was to raise the gun at Becker, who was at the moment, unknown to Connor, unarmed.

However, he turned his anger to Matt.

"I _told_ you that I _didn't_ want him involved." Connor said through gritted teeth.

* * *

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	17. Enemy Alliance

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue! ;D**

**Chapter 17: Enemy Alliance**

"_And all these little things in life_

_They all create this haze_

_There's too many things to get done,_

_And I'm running out of days_"

**-"Running Out Of Days" by Three Doors Down**

Becker stopped as he saw Connor and Emily enter the room from the other side.

"You."

Connor's immediate instinct was to raise the gun at Becker, who was at the moment, unknown to Connor, unarmed.

However, he turned his anger to Matt.

"I told you that I didn't want him involved." Connor said through gritted teeth.

"And I told you that this isn't going to be easy and we need who we can get." Matt replied sternly.

"Who we can trust." Abby added.

"So, you're in on it too, then?" Connor sneered at Abby.

"We're just trying to ensure the success of this because we'll only have one shot at it." Abby defended.

"You said they'd escaped this time through an anomaly." Becker glared, keeping his hands to his side but his eyes on Connor.

"If only." Connor chuckled darkly.

"What's going on, Anderson?" Becker asked angrily.

"We're going to invade Prospero to stop Helen and Phillip." Matt stated simply.

"We'll be dead by the time we reach their doorstep. You know that." Becker pointed out bitterly.

"Not if Connor can convince them he's the Connor they've been manipulating." Matt explained.

"You really have lost it." Becker laughed coldly. "Once they see the Connor of this time in his lab on the CCTV, we're all screwed."

"Not if we kidnap him." Emily chimed in.

All eyes, except Connor's were on her.

Emily swallowed the lump that had leapt up into her throat at the sudden attention.

"I mean, if we—if we could manage to hide him away somewhere until we fix things, they would never know the difference, would they?" She clarified.

"She has a point." Abby agreed.

"The trouble is getting him out of that lab to make this work." Matt stated.

"Put the gun down." Becker ordered Connor.

"After the trouble you've put me through, not happening." Connor narrowed his eyes.

"I'm _unarmed_." Becker argued, just below a shout.

"How do I know that for sure?" Connor inquired.

"Because I would have pulled out a gun and shot you myself by now." Becker responded.

"And we're trusting him by the simple fact that he's contributing knowledge of our flaws in our plans?" Connor asked almost indifferently. "How do we know that he's not going to just run back to the ARC and _tattle_?"

"_Please_. I do have some dignity." Becker scoffed.

"They killed people. Why would I want to stand back and watch them do it again?" Becker asked. "The only difference this time would be that some of the blood would be on my hands."

"Not nearly as much blood as is on my hands." Connor muttered.

"So what then? You're going to hold me at gun point until I agree or until you decide it's okay to add more blood to your hands and shoot me because you've gotten bored?" Becker provoked.

Connor, in a rage, began to rush towards Becker to punch that smirk off of his face, but was stopped by Emily, grabbing his shirt and Matt stepping in between them.

"Connor, don't." Emily cautioned him.

"I've lost more than you, Becker." He shouted. "You've only lost _Sarah_; but I've lost _everyone_ who's ever mattered to me!"

Emily subconsciously let go of his collar as the words sank in.

Connor rushed forward and decked Becker, knocking him to the ground.

"That's for shooting me the first day I got here." He said heatedly.

"Stop it." Abby said sternly.

Connor looked to Abby, his eyes full of anger.

"This is a suicide mission. Why are you all so _eager_ to add to the _body count_?"

"Everyone here is here by choice." Matt spoke as he helped Becker to his feet.

"Without our knowledge, there's no way in _hell_ you're getting through Prospero _alive_." Becker added, as he briefly rubbed the tender spot on his cheek.

"So, you're in on this then." Connor spoke.

It wasn't a question.

Matt, Abby, and Becker all nodded.

Connor turned to see if Emily was nodding as well; but saw her hair as she disappeared up the staircase that led to the roof.

"After tomorrow, we need to make sure everything is as flawless as possible." Matt stated. "Because after tomorrow, one mistake means death."

"Better make the most of tomorrow then." Connor muttered as he turned to follow Emily to the roof.

"We need to make sure Jess and Lester are safe as well." Abby said after Connor left.

"Don't worry," Becker began. "No one else is going to die because of Prospero."

"We'll find somewhere safe to put all of them and continue with our actions as planned." Matt affirmed.

* * *

Emily sat against the wall, looking across the city and glancing up at the stars glittering in the sky.

She rubbed her eyes and took a deep a breath.

She didn't matter.

At least, not to someone she was willing to risk her life for.

Someone she considered her friend.

Her closest friend.

She didn't matter to her husband either; but this was different.

This was something that genuinely bothered her.

Emily all but jumped when she felt a coat over her shoulders.

She didn't look up as Connor sat down next to her, shoulder to shoulder.

"It's a chilly night." He spoke as he sat down next to her.

Emily said nothing.

"Look," He said with a sigh. "It's nothing personal, Emily; but this _is_ a suicide mission. _My_ suicide mission."

"Why are you so intent on being alone?" She asked quietly.

"I've gotten used to it and now I just want to fix my mistake so I have something to go back to. I'm tired of living in fear. Having to constantly look over my shoulder; sleep with one eye open all the time."

"Either way, in two days, you may never have to live like that again." Emily murmured bitterly.

"I don't want you to go on this suicide mission, Emily." Connor spoke flatly.

"I'm going." She retorted. "Whether you want me to or not."

Connor said nothing.

Emily turned and faced him. "I'm fighting for something too. To stay alive."

Connor, his head still resting against the wall, turned to make eye contact with Emily.

"Where have you decided is the time period you want to go, Emily?" He questioned quietly.

Emily stared him in the eyes, saying nothing.

"I don't want to watch you or anyone else die." Connor whispered, cutting off the silence that was swirling around them, keeping eye contact.

Emily ignored her heart pounding against her chest as she leaned toward Connor. She closed the space between them and pressed her lips against his.

Connor hesitated as he felt Emily press her lips to his, kissing him.

It was awakening things inside of him that he'd long since kept dormant.

And that was dangerous.

Especially so close to the final days.

Before Connor could take any action, Emily pulled away, stood up, and was gone.

Connor sat there, staring at the spot Emily had been sitting in moments ago.

He had to push the feelings and emotions back and keep them locked up. He couldn't afford a distraction when he was so close.

He couldn't risk it.

* * *

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	18. If Today Was Your Last Day

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue! ;D**

**Chapter 18: If Today Was Your Last Day**

"_I was only looking for the shortcut home_

_But it's complicated_

_So Complicated._"

**-"It Is What It Is" by Lifehouse**

It was sometime early in the morning when Connor, Emily, Becker, Matt and Abby conglomerated in Matt and Abby's living room.

They were going over the final discussions of what exactly would happen tomorrow.

"Tomorrow, we'll take my car." Matt began.

"We'll leave mine behind so that you and Emily can follow us later on." Abby added.

"I've arranged for a _brief_ blackout in security." Becker interjected. "Long enough for all of us to do what we need to do. Hopefully, without too much notice."

"Timing is crucial." Matt spoke sternly. "If everyone is not in position at the time we agreed on, everything will fall apart."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

There would be no second chance on this.

"We'll knock out our Connor during the blackout and get him out through the loading bay near the menagerie." Abby explained.

"And I'll quickly take his place as if nothing had ever happened." Connor clarified.

"Right." Matt nodded. "And after we've sorted that and Helen and Phillip have left—"

"They will already have left for Prospero long before our designated time for action." Becker interjected.

All eyes were on him.

"Information from Jess." Becker clarified.

Matt cleared his throat. "Anyway, after everything's sorted, we'll regroup and head toward Prospero with Connor leading the way."

"Connor will go in and make his way to Helen and Phillip while all of us work on destroying what we can to ensure they can't stop Convergence." Matt continued.

"Isn't that what we should be stopping?" Emily inquired.

Matt shook his head. "It's a natural occurrence that happens once in a long while. If the process is interrupted or cut short, there's a possibility that the effects could be catastrophic."

Emily merely nodded in understanding.

Becker handed Connor a list.

"What's this?" Connor asked accepting the list.

"It's a list of codes that you need to memorize to keep us alive and get us through Prospero as best you can." Becker explained.

"Where'd you get it?" Connor asked.

"Wait—let me guess." Connor cut Becker off. "Jess."

Becker narrowed his eyes before nodding in reply.

One step closer to fixing things. Connor thought to himself.

One step closer to home.

Connor began to weigh things on his mind.

Could he keep everyone alive and succeed?

It would be tricky, but he would do his best.

He had to make sure everything went according to plan.

Precision and accuracy would be key in the succession of this.

He peered quickly at Emily out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to Becker.

There was still something on his mind.

He pushed it away as he spoke.

Their talks had run long into the day, it was early afternoon. They all knew what needed to be done and there was no further reason to spend any more time on the subject.

"You guys should go and enjoy your day and yourselves." Connor encouraged them all.

"I'll stay here and memorize these codes."

There were some protests that began to form, but Connor stopped them short. Saying what was on all of their minds, but what no one would say.

"Just in case this is our last day alive and free, I suggest that everyone go and _enjoy_ it." Connor finished firmly.

"I need to go take care of something anyway." Becker said before leaving without another word.

"Tomorrow will be a success." Abby assured him. "We're going to win this."

"We'll see." Connor said gruffly.

"Abby and I have dinner reservations and we'll be gone a fair while." Matt explained. "The two of you are free to do whatever you want."

Connor and Emily nodded as Matt and Abby left.

Connor stood and made his way to the roof, past Emily without as much as a word to her.

* * *

Connor spent the rest of the day on the roof memorizing the codes.

Emily never came up once to scold him about eating or keeping hydrated.

Good. He thought.

He wasn't much in the position to stomach food.

Not with so much on his mind apart from the codes he'd memorized.

Not with so much concerning—no, she made her choice.

She was strong and had made it clear he could do nothing to convince her otherwise.

Just as the sun began to set, Connor heard the door to the roof open.

He knew it was Emily.

He could tell by the way she walked.

He had memorized nearly everything about her in the time that they had known each other.

He knew she was there.

Knew, but said nothing.

She was silent as well.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Connor asked aloud.

He could have sworn he heard Emily jump; but she remained silent.

"The only thing I wanted to do on my last day alive was to make sure I see my last ever sunset in case things go awry tomorrow."

Again nothing.

He was starting to wonder if she was even behind him; but he was certain she was.

"It is—very beautiful." She agreed.

"Listen, I'm—" Emily was about to apologize for kissing him last night.

He hadn't returned her kiss and she could only assume that she had angered him.

However, revoking her apology, she decided that it didn't matter. She wasn't sorry for kissing him. She knew the consequences of her actions and had made her decision.

In her thoughts, Emily had missed Connor stand and pass her going back downstairs.

* * *

Downstairs, they both noticed that Matt and Abby had still not returned.

Emily noticed Connor set the paper on the coffee table and move over to the patio. He was watching the rest of the sunset.

Emily made her way to him.

Connor was faintly aware of Emily taking hold of his hand.

He looked down at their entwined fingers passively before glancing up to meet her eyes.

_How do you think that I've lost so much?_

He couldn't stop thinking about the risks of letting her continue to follow him into the suicide mission.

_I'm so afraid._

"What time do you want to go to, Emily?" He asked quietly.

This would be possibly the last time he would ask this question.

He wasn't sure what answer he was expecting, as Emily's hands flew up and cradled his face.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked with a sad smile before kissing him.

_ I'm out of touch_.

Connor doesn't react immediately.

He can't remember the last time he'd been kissed before meeting Emily.

Too long.

Too long a time.

If they die tomorrow, which he could only hope they won't, what could there have been said?

Surely, no one would be going home anywhere.

But then the conflict he seemed to be struggling with so much finally had a resolution. He knew how to make sure at least someone would stay alive, even if for a while longer.

What the hell.

"It _is_ our last day alive." He murmured against her lips before he gave in and began kissing back.

Connor feels Emily move her hands to the back of his head and into his hair, pulling him closer.

He finds himself running one hand into her hair, entangling his fingers in her long locks, while the other finds the small of her back and pulls her as close to him as possible.

He holds her close to him that she's barely touching the floor.

As they kiss and he holds Emily close to him, he's vaguely aware of her hands disappearing from his hair.

They've moved to undoing the buttons on his shirt as he moves toward the guest bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

The next morning, Connor wakes up next to Emily, sleeping in his arms.

He glances at the clock.

Nearly time to leave to meet up to put the plan into action.

He glances back at Emily's sleeping form and watches her for a few moments.

She was so willing, so ready to die for him.

But he had other plans in mind; like keeping her alive.

"No one else gets to die for me." He whispers.

Connor carefully climbs out of the bed and makes sure her bare form is covered with the blankets, sealing in the warmth.

He quickly gets dressed in the clothes he was instructed to wear and sneaks out the bedroom door.

He turns and locks the door once it's shut.

The only door in the flat that locks from the _outside_.

It will be at least half an hour before Emily wakes up and notices the time.

A few minutes after that before she realizes he isn't in the room.

And a few more minutes before she's dressed and furiously trying to get out of the bedroom that he's locked her inside of.

He had to admit.

This act, despite its good intentions, was low and despicable; even for him.

Even after everything he's been through both by himself and with Emily.

She'll understand…eventually. He tries to convince himself as he heads of to the rendezvous.

* * *

The italicized words near the end of this chapter are from "By Myself" by Linkin Park.

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	19. Echelon

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue! ;D**

**Chapter 19: Echelon**

"_This is a second coming_

_This is a call to arms_

_Your finest hour won't be wasted wasted_

_Hey hey hell is what you make make_

_Rise against your fate fate_

_Nothing's gonna keep you down_

_Even if it's killing you_

_Because you know the truth_"

**-"This Is Gonna Hurt" by Sixx A.M.**

Emily slowly started to stir from her sleep.

She pulled the blankets closer to her. She had never felt so well rested in all of her life.

Despite the lovely feelings overcoming her, there was an oddness about it.

Something missing.

She turned to see that Connor was not occupying the spot beside her.

Her hand pressed the spot where he had laid next to her last night, cradling her in his arms.

It was nearly cold.

Her body heat was probably preventing his spot from ever going entirely cold. She sat up and wrapped the sheets around her as she climbed out of the bed and looked around the room for signs of Connor.

His clothes were still strewn on the floor mingled with hers.

Emily turned on her heel and briskly walked back over to the nightstand and checked the time on the clock.

Emily's eyes widen as she noted the time.

"He must have left me behind." She muttered in surprise, before dropping the sheets and quickly getting dressed.

After she was dressed, Emily approached the door and tried to open it.

The door wouldn't budge.

Emily tried pulling and rattling the doorknob, but to no avail.

"Connor!" She pounded on the door.

"Connor, it was my choice!" She cried in frustration as she pounded against the door with her fists.

There was no point; she was the only person still here.

* * *

Emily spent the better part of an hour pacing around the bedroom.

She kept trying to come up with some sort of a plan; but the problem of getting out of the room first put a stop to every plan.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted when the door jiggled and began to open.

Emily rushed to the door hoping Connor had changed his mind and come back to enlist her help.

She stopped dead in her tracks as the door swung open; a gun pointing at her.

"Hello Emily."

"Ethan." Emily gasped.

* * *

Connor pulled into the ARC.

It was fairly different from the ARC he remembered; but he was prepared for that.

The memories to come in association with it were something he was not prepared for.

"Focus." He told himself as he made his way to the back of the building where the back doors to the menagerie was.

There was no time to get nostalgic; even if all of them were going to die in a mere few hours. He couldn't afford to get distracted when everything was on the line.

Time itself was depending on him.

As he approached the door, he saw Matt and Abby emerge from the menagerie with his counterpart.

They nodded in greeting to him.

"Where's Becker?" Connor asked, tearing his glance from his unconscious counterpart.

"He's helping with the security blackout." Abby answered.

"Jess was supposed to be doing that." Connor pointed out.

"Becker told us that Jess needed his help." Abby assured him.

Something wasn't right.

Connor said nothing further.

"Where's Emily?" Matt asked partially glancing behind Connor.

"She changed her mind. Stayed behind." Was all Connor said.

Connor watched as Matt narrowed his eyes before speaking.

"You should hurry and get into position before you're noticed."

Connor continued into the ARC without another word as Matt and Abby took his counterpart to hide him safely.

* * *

Connor walked around the Prospero lab that he had watched so many times from the laptop feed back at the flat.

He took up the mannerisms of his counterpart and organized, noting things and ignoring pressing memories until the time came for the next phase in the plan.

He managed to walk out the front door and to the car without any issues whatsoever.

As he drove to Prospero to meet Matt and the others, he couldn't help but acknowledge the nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

* * *

When he arrived as Prospero, there was no sight of Matt, Abby, or Becker.

It was everything he could muster to force away the foreboding feeling that hung over him like a dark cloud.

Maybe the others had gone ahead without him?

While he had the more important job of finding Phillip and Helen, they had the more tedious and time consuming job of destroying any devices that could be used against them or humanity.

Matt had gotten Connor's guns back for him a few days ago. Connor pulled on his holsters and loaded the guns into them, securing the holsters to his body.

He pulled his jacket on to conceal the guns before grabbing the bigger gun in the passenger seat and making his way to the entrance he needed to take.

He punched in the necessary codes he had forced himself to remember and entered the building swallowing the lump in his throat.

* * *

As Connor made his way cautiously through the empty corridors, he was suddenly hit by a realization as the foreboding came to a front.

Abby, Matt, and Becker didn't know any of the codes to get in here.

He was the only one who knew and had memorized the codes because it was _his_ job to get them past all of the security checkpoints and such.

As he armed the gun and continued down the corridor alert with his guard up. A faint hope flickered that at least Emily was still alive.

Albeit locked in a bedroom and most likely cross, but alive.

* * *

Connor took a deep breath as he came to the doors that led to where Phillip and Helen's lab was.

Someone was behind him.

He couldn't hear them, but he just had a _feeling_ that someone was sneaking up on him.

He spun around just in time to shoot a guard sneaking up on him prepared to shoot as well.

As he pushed open the doors, Connor's suspicions were confirmed when he found Helen and Phillip both applauding his arrival.

"You knew all along." He stated flatly, keeping his guard up.

"Not everything." Phillip admitted. "Just that there was a plot against us."

"I'm assuming that the others are dead then." Connor stated, making sure to keep his voice neutral, but stern.

"Oh, we haven't disposed of them yet, Connor. Don't worry." Helen smirked.

"We've noticed for sometime how things have changed amongst the dynamic of the team and have long suspected it had something to do with the anomaly and the strangers that had come through and _mysteriously_ vanished from the radar." Phillip explained.

"Becker, you see," Helen smirked. "He slipped up in his report on that day. He went into near full explanation of what had happened, not skipping any detail of what the anomaly drifters looked like."

Connor listened, his expression passive.

He had known this must have been coming.

Ever since Matt had mentioned letting Becker in on everything.

The nagging was there but not as strong as it had been since yesterday or this morning.

The reason he'd slept with Emily and then locked her in the bedroom to hopefully spare her life. He did it because she had let her guard down enough to not notice that he had chosen the only bedroom in the flat that locked from the outside.

Because she was his friend.

Because he was dangerous.

And because now would be a horrible time to realize that he could be feeling something that had nothing to do with bitterness or revenge.

If they didn't already know about her still being here as well.

"His particular description of _you_ rang a bell." Helen continued. "We'd met before now, haven't we?"

"More than I'd care to recount."

"That first anomaly I was investigating nearly 13 years ago and then again in the Forest of Dean; the anomaly that started the Anomaly Research Project." Helen recalled thoughtfully.

"Becker didn't seem to know much at first. It wasn't until a few days ago that we managed to start to get somewhere."

"There was never a security blackout earlier today, was there? You were just allowing Matt and Abby to kidnap the Connor of this time and letting me take his place while you looked on." Connor noted.

"Very good." Phillip complimented. "We disabled the alarms, but the cameras and everything were very much intact."

"Jess never lifted a finger to initiate the blackout and Becker never needed to help her."

"We needed information and Becker needed incentive to provide us with it." Helen smiled. "With her life in danger, he told us every detail of the plan and we provided him with the codes and information needed to bring you this far to us."

"But I am curious, Connor. I really am. Now that you're here, what is your next step in the plan? To stop the Convergence?"

"I've wandered and waited more than eight years of my life to finally stop you Helen; especially after the hell you put me through."

Connor aimed gun at her heart from where he stood. "I'm not about to fail just yet."

He was certain he was in range enough to make the shot.

"Oh, before you do, I nearly forgot." Phillip interjected as he pulled a remote from his jacket and pushed a button.

A panel of wall moved, revealing a glass pane.

"Go on, have a look." Phillip urged.

Connor moved toward the pane, keeping his eyes on the pair before chancing a glass through the pane.

Just below, was an arena of sorts that was divided by an electrical barrier fence.

On one side, at least a dozen future predators. On the other, Abby; Matt; and Jess.

He needed to play his cards right.

But even if they all died here and he made it back to that point in time to counter the paradox and kill Helen, none of the death here would ever have happened.

Right?

"Just to get a feel for what's at stake here," Phillip announced, cueing the next entrance Connor was only half expecting.

Emily was dragged in gagged, arms tied behind her, with a gun pointed to her head by Ethan's hand.

If there was one thing truly at this point in time, Connor now knew what it was:

He was cornered.

* * *

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	20. Desolation Row

**Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue! ;D**

**Chapter 20: Desolation Row**

"_Where's the truth_

_For us to use_

_Cause all we seem to do is lose_

_Who we are and how we've tried_

_Are we all the same inside_

_It's now or never to decide_"

**-"Now Or Never" by Three Days Grace**

Connor looked around.

Everything was looking bleak with Matt, Abby, and Jess in a caged arena with future predators and Emily held at gunpoint by Ethan.

"It looks as though you've been cornered." Helen smirked.

Just then, a gun cocked behind Connor, the barrel pressing to his head.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Becker." Connor stated.

"You're a dangerous man." Becker pointed out. "You and Emily coming and staying in this time have put everyone in danger."

"Drop your gun." Becker ordered flatly.

Connor did so and kicked it away.

Connor stood still, the pressure from the gun not decreasing from the back of his skull.

"Why _did _you come to this time and interfere?" Helen asked as she approached him.

"It was inadvertent, I can assure you." Connor glared as Helen slipped her hands inside his jacket and ran her hands up his sides before grabbing one of his guns and pointing it at his head.

Despite having two guns pointed directly at his head, willing to end it here and now, Connor didn't flinch one bit or beg for his life.

Instead, he laughed.

"I fail to see the humor in your predicament, Connor." Helen frowned.

"Ace up my sleeve," Connor smirked. "You lot failed to capture my counterpart of this time."

At that moment the power went out and a scuffle occurred in which Connor duck from the guns' paths and wrestled his gun from Helen before sideswiping Becker.

When the lights came back on, Connor had both hand guns out and pointed at Helen and Becker.

Becker dropped his gun and kicked it away.

"Where did they go?" Phillip growled noting Abby, Matt, and Jess had disappeared from the arena below.

Keeping his eyes on Helen and Becker Connor asked, "So, Ethan, why did you go after Emily? She's nothing to do with this."

"Charlotte's dead. Because of the foolish rules the two of you believed in, she died upon arrival at the hospital."

"We found him," Phillip explained coolly. "And we made a deal offering revenge in return for helping our cause."

"I did my part and now, I'm going to follow through on taking the love of your life away just like you did to me." Ethan said manically.

"She's not the love of my life." Connor said, keeping his tones even and not making eye contact with the lunatic behind him.

Connor wasn't an idiot. He knew Ethan would kill Emily even if he didn't get the say-so.

He turned sideways so that he could keep an eye on Helen, Becker, Phillip and Ethan; pointing one gun at Ethan while the other stayed trained on the others.

"Charlotte's death was natural. Somewhere in that skull of yours I'm sure you must have realized that." Connor spoke evenly, forcing himself to ignore the hurt look on Emily's face.

A gunshot rang through the room and Ethan dropped to the ground with a bullet hole in his head.

Helen had had a gun on her the entire time after all.

Connor was momentarily distracted as he watched Ethan pull Emily down with the rest of his strength as he died.

A moment's distraction was all it took as Connor felt the butt of a gun connect with the back of his skull.

* * *

"Connor." A voice spoke softly. "Connor wake up."

Emily was lightly slapping Connor's cheek.

Connor opened his eyes to see they were in a different room; a wider room overlooking the arena. This room however, held the machine his counterpart had built for Helen and Phillip.

As Connor went to sit up, Emily's hand connected with his cheek in a hard slap.

He sat up and shot her a look, though he already knew why she'd done it.

"I can make my own decisions, thank you very much."

"I was only doing what I thought would keep you safe." He admitted.

"Right, by—"

"Look, could we not do this here?" He interrupted.

"Get up." Becker ordered, standing not too far off from them.

Connor and Emily got to their feet.

Connor was starting to wonder where the cavalry had gone; half hoping they were succeeding in Plan B or C; whichever one recent events had put them at.

"I'm guessing there's a master plan behind all the theatrics and manipulation?" Connor inquired.

"Of course." Phillip smiled.

"Once all the anomalies are open across the planet, people will be panicking." Helen pointed out.

"We have people in place to manipulate said anomalies to our instructions. However, convergence cannot begin until we open the first anomaly." Phillip explained. "A domino effect if you will."

"You can't control natural events to your liking." Connor argued. "The results would be catastrophic."

"We've accounted for any mishaps along the way." Helen assured him.

Connor turned to Becker. "And what's your role in all this then, Becker? Still working for the enemy even with Jess out of harm's way?"

Becker didn't reply.

"Oh, I see. You've become their enforcer now; their yes-man."

Connor was knocked to the ground shortly after Becker pistol-whipped him.

Connor briefly rubbed the gash that had opened on his cheek before standing and lunging at Becker.

"Stop it." Emily shouted as the two men fought each other, throwing punches.

The fight was stopped immediately as the doors opened.

"Well, as amusing as this all is." Phillip sighed. "I believe we have a future to create."

Abby, Matt, and the Other Connor came bursting into the room tussling with the guards.

Connor pushed Becker off of him and raced toward Helen and Phillip.

"No!" He shouted as the button was pushed heralding catastrophe.

* * *

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